Dad Of Three Missing Ohio Boys Is Arrested

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The father of three missing boys from Ohio has been arrested on three counts of parental kidnapping.Related photos / videos Dad Of Three Missing Ohio Boys Is Arrested Enlarge photo And police have said they "do not expect the four-day search to have a positive outcome".

John Skelton is now being held by the FBI after being released from a mental health facility.

Andrew, nine, Alexander, seven, and Tanner, five, have been missing since Friday.

They were last seen with their father on Thanksgiving in Morenci, a town on the Michigan-Ohio border, 75 miles south west of Detroit.

Skelton, 39, had been in a hospital in Ohio since Friday after he said he tried to commit suicide.

He claimed he had handed over his children to a woman named in news reports as Joann Taylor before attempting to hang himself.

He said he had met Ms Taylor online and was having a relationship with her.

She was said to live in southern Michigan, but officers who have extensively searched name records have had no success tracking down a woman by that name.

Police have now ruled out that Skelton gave his kids to a woman and believe the children may have been left on a road.

The boys were reported missing by their mother, Tanya Skelton, 44, a registered sex offender.

In 1998 her involvement with a teenage boy resulted in a fourth degree misdemeanor charge and she was placed on probation.

A friend of the Skeltons said the couple were going through a divorce at the time the boys disappeared.

Police, firefighters and hundreds of volunteers have spent days searching for the youngsters.

Authorities had hoped to find the boys alive, but Morenci Police chief Larry Weeks said that was now unlikely on the basis of statements made by Skelton.

According to reports, officials have limited children from helping in the search for the boys, worried about what they may find.
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I hope they find these little boys safe but it isn´t looking good.

This is so sad and does not sound good however I hope those little ones turn up safe and well.

November 30, 2010 -

MORENCI, Michigan -- Authorities arrested the father of three missing Michigan boys Tuesday, charging him with parental kidnapping, officials said.

John Skelton, who was admitted to a mental facility last week when he attempted suicide, was immediately arrested upon release in Morenci, Michigan, Police Chief Larry Weeks told reporters.

Skelton's three young boys were reported missing by their mother Friday when Skelton failed to return the children to his estranged wife.

He initially told police he gave the three boys to a woman he identified as Joann Taylor the morning before he tried to take his life. His reasoning was that he did not want the boys to witness his suicide.

He said he asked Taylor to return the children to their mother in Morenci, a southern Michigan town of about 2,400 people about 40 miles west-northwest of Toledo, Ohio, Friday afternoon, Weeks said.


Earlier, authorities determined that Skelton had no "established relationship" with the person he named as Taylor, and they aren't certain that she even exists. They are skeptical of the information Skelton has provided them.

Weeks said there was rumor circulating on the internet Tuesday that the children were found and that investigators have not found the children.

Local authorities and federal investigators have been searching for the children since Friday and by Tuesday morning, Weeks said investigators "do not anticipate a positive outcome."



Authorities continue to ask the public for their help.

They are hoping someone saw Skelton's blue 2000 Dodge Caravan. It is believed Skelton was carrying the boys in the van from 2:30 p.m. Thursday to 1:30 p.m. Friday somewhere along a 25-mile stretch of road between Morenci and Holiday City, Ohio.

CNN reported that Weeks had been more optimistic Monday, saying, "We remain hopeful. "That's why we're doing what we're doing, and hope to bring these boys home."

The last time a non-family member saw the boys was at 5 p.m. on Thursday, according to the chief.

Andy Arena, a special agent with the FBI, also has called for help from the public. "We need calls. We need tips. Anything that's out there, no matter how incredible you may think it is, call. Let us know," he said Sunday.

Description of children:


According to the Amber Alert

Tanner - 5-years-old, 3'6" tall, strawberry blond hair, blue eyes, 40 pounds

Alexander - 7-years-old, 3'9" tall, brown hair, brown eyes, 45 pounds, scars on his hairline and chin.

Andrew - 9-years-old, 4'1" tall, brown hair, brown eyes, 57 pounds

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Continue reading on Examiner.com Father of 3 missing Michigan boys arrested, Police aren't buying his story - National missing persons | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/missing-persons-in-national/father-of-3-missing-michigan-boys-arrrested-police-fear-negative-outcome#ixzz1W3WN22OR

Add a comment Isabelle Zehnder, Missing Persons Examiner
November 28, 2010
3 young Michigan boys still missing after father attempts suicide

MICHIGAN -- Authorities in Michigan are asking the public for help in locating three young boys who have been missing since Friday morning.

"We need calls. We need tips. Anything that's out there, no matter how incredible you may think it is, call. Let us know," said Andy Arena, a special agent with the FBI.

John Skelton, the boys' father, told police he dropped the boys off Friday morning with a woman he identified as Joann Taylor. He did not want them to see him during and after he tried to commit suicide.

Skelton survived the attempt and is being cared for in a mental health facility.

He met Taylor on the Internet, Skelton told police. Taylor was supposed to take the boys to their home in Morenci, a southern Michigan town of about 2,400 people about 40 miles west-northwest of Toledo, Ohio, around 3 p.m. Friday.

The boys - 5-year-old Tanner Skelton, 7-year-old Alexander William Skelton, and 9-year-old Andrew Skelton - never arrived and police are not sure whether John Skelton's story is true. They don't even know if Taylor is real, they said.

"We continue to search to verify whether or not this woman exists. At this point, no information has been collected to lead us to this person," said Larry Weeks, police chief of Morenci.

An Amber Alert was issued on Friday for the three missing boys. The last nonfamily member saw the boys at 5 p.m. on Thursday, according to the chief.

Description of the children:



Tanner - 5-years-old, 3'6" tall, strawberry blond hair, blue eyes, 40 pounds

Alexander - 7-years-old, 3'9" tall, brown hair, brown eyes, 45 pounds, scars on his hairline and chin.

Andrew - 9-years-old, 4'1" tall, brown hair, brown eyes, 57 pounds

Kathye Herrera, a family spokeswoman, spoke to reporters Sunday, thanking neighbors who have searched for the boys and prayed for their safe return.

"We've got three great little boys out there, and we're going to get them back," she said.

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Continue reading on Examiner.com Tips needed: 3 young Michigan boys still missing after father attempts suicide - National missing persons | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/missing-persons-in-national/tips-needed-3-young-michigan-boys-still-missing-after-father-attempts-suicide#ixzz1W3WlhWQz

Isabelle Zehnder, Missing Persons Examiner
December 1, 2010 -
MORENCI, Michigan -- Morenci Chief of Police Larry Weeks said in a press release issued Wednesday at 3 p.m. that the father of the three missing Michigan boys has been charged with kidnapping, and rumors that three bodies were found are just that - rumors.

Chief Weeks said, "Despite media rumors to the contrary, the children have not been located."

A call to the Morenci City Hall by Examiner.com further confirmed no bodies were found. City Hall personnel said, "There were no bodies found in Ohio, that was just a rumor. We'd know if bodies were found in this case."

The arrest of the boys' father, John Skelton, was confirmed in the press release. Skelton is being held on parental kidnapping charges following his release from a mental health facility.

Police have not released the name of the mental health facility.

Advertisement Earlier reports indicate Skelton is being held on $3 million bail. In a Toledo courtroom, he refused to waive extradition from Ohio to Michigan and an extradition hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 14.

Skelton has hired an attorney as is fighting the extradition.

Add a comment Isabelle Zehnder, Missing Persons Examiner
December 1, 2010


MORENCI, Michigan (Updated 12/5/2010) -- It has been reported that the father of three missing Michigan boys, who attempted to kill himself last week and was arrested Tuesday upon his release from a mental hospital, has now admitted to killing them.

There is no evidence the children have died, and there is still the possibility they are alive. The town of Morenci continues to hold out hope, even though police do not sound as hopeful as they did earlier on in the investigation.

During a press conference on Tuesday authorities said they do not "anticipate a positive outcome" in the case after days of searching and based on what the children's father said.

Authorities and volunteers, however, continue searching for the three missing brothers from Morenci, Michigan, though hope is fading.

Andrew Skelton, 9, Alexander Skelton, 7, and Tanner Skelton, 5, were last seen on Thursday and were reported missing Friday when they did were not returned to their mother as scheduled.

Advertisement The children's father, John Skelton, initially said he did not want his children around when he tried to kill himself. He claimed to have turned them over to a woman he hardly knew, Joann Taylor, asking her to return the boys to their mother in Morenci, Michigan.

He's now changed his story and police do not believe a relationship existed between Skelton and Taylor.

John Skelton has admitted to FBI profilers that he killed his sons. No further details were released regarding the admission.

Skelton, 39, was unsuccessful in his attempt to hang himself.

Police have been engaging in conversations with Skelton regarding where his sons may be located and he has been forthcoming with some information.

Those conversations led investigators to grim expectations, according to Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks. No details or specifics were provided but Weeks said statement made by Skelton to investigators are what indicated to them there would not be a positive outcome to this case.

According to Weeks, no decision has yet been made about the charges being sought against Skelton.

The boys' mother and family were notified that authorities are not optimistic about the case.

When asked how the family is reacting to the news, Weeks said, "Imagine your worst nightmare. How would you respond?"

Searchers will continue to look for the missing brothers.

Crews searched areas of Williams County on Monday, including a campground where authorities believed Skelton may have taken the boys in the past.

Searchers set up a command center in Pioneer with searches extending to West Unity, Kunkle, and Holiday City.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the Morenci Police Department at 517-458-7104.

Add a comment Isabelle Zehnder, Missing Persons Examiner

June 7, 2011 - (Isabelle Zehnder reporting) -- The parents of three Morenci brothers who went missing more than six months ago were in court Tuesday battling over who should have custody of the children – their mother was given full custody.

Problem is her children are still missing and her now ex-husband is suspected of kidnapping them. He remains in jail on a $90 million bond. Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said the case is being treated as a murder investigation.

John Skelton is in prison charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment of their three sons – Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner 5. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Wednesday in circuit court.

Day in court, John Skelton represents himself

John Skelton appeared in court Tuesday representing himself in the couple's divorce trial.

Below are his questions to his ex-wife, Tanya Skelton, and her responses:

John Skelton: “Why do you think it would be in the best interest of the children that you have sole legal physical custody?”

Advertisement Tanya Skelton: “Because I was granted physical custody of the children with their father being given parenting time and their father did not bring them back to me.”

John Skelton: “Do you believe the children are safe?”

Tanya Skelton: “No because they’re not with their parent.”

John Skelton: “Is it your opinion that the boys are still alive?"

Tanya didn't have to answer.

Lenawee County Circuit Judge Margaret M.S. Noe, who signed a judgment of divorce Tuesday giving Tanya custody, said, “Tanya does not have to respond to the question, ask another question.”

The three boys were last in the custody of their father in November 2010. Tanya Skelton filed for divorce in September, two months before the children went missing.

In September John Skelton took their two oldest sons to Florida where his parents and sister live without Tanya’s permission.

In November he had the children for Thanksgiving and never returned them to their mother.

John Skelton has made several different claims as to where his children are staying, the last being they are with an organization. Police have said they cannot locate the organization.

He was initially charged with parental kidnapping and his case was bound over to circuit court. Charges of unlawful imprisonment and kidnapping were later added, which carries a penalty of up to life in prison.

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Continue reading on Examiner.com Morenci couple battles over custody of 3 missing sons – mom wins - National missing persons | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/missing-persons-in-national/morenci-couple-battles-over-custody-of-3-missing-morenci-boys-mom-wins#ixzz1W3XMlOcH