by Lenawee County, Michigan – A Michigan father has been formally charged with killing his three young sons nearly 15 years after they vanished, marking a major development in one of the state’s most haunting cold cases.
John Skelton, 53, was charged in Lenawee County with three counts of open murder and three counts of tampering with evidence, according to newly released court filings. The charges were filed on November 12 — just weeks before he was scheduled to walk free from prison after serving time for their abduction.
The case dates back to Thanksgiving weekend in 2010, when Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, disappeared from their father’s home in the small community of Morenci, near the Ohio border. Despite relentless searches and national coverage, the boys have never been found.
Skelton Was Days From Release
Skelton has been behind bars since 2011 after pleading no contest to unlawful imprisonment, a charge stemming from abducting his three sons during a contentious divorce from their mother, Tanya Zuvers.
He received a 10–15 year sentence and was set for release on November 29, until prosecutors filed the new murder charges that will keep him behind bars.
According to court documents, evidence gathered over the last decade — including cellphone records, inconsistencies in Skelton’s accounts, and investigative findings — prompted prosecutors to pursue the homicide case.
Last Hours Before the Boys Vanished
The boys were last seen alive at Skelton’s home after spending Thanksgiving with him. Zuvers had sole custody at the time and was scheduled to pick them up the next morning.
But when she arrived, both Skelton and her sons were gone.
Skelton later surfaced in a hospital after allegedly attempting to harm himself. His explanation for the boys’ disappearance shifted repeatedly. He initially claimed he had given the children to an underground group to protect them, a story investigators said had no credible basis.
Mother Long Believed Murder Was Involved
Zuvers has been outspoken for years about her belief that Skelton killed their sons.
“He took them from me,” she said in an earlier interview with WTVG. “And I believe he killed them.”
In December of last year, she filed a petition declaring the boys legally dead to obtain closure after nearly 15 years of uncertainty. A judge granted that request earlier this year, though at the time noted there was no definitive proof Skelton had murdered them.
But in the petition, Zuvers wrote that Skelton had been “unable or unwilling to offer any plausible explanation as to the whereabouts of these children.” She also argued that he had obstructed the investigation since the day the boys vanished.
Cellphone Evidence Contradicted Skelton’s Story
Investigators used Skelton’s cellphone data to reconstruct his movements around the time the boys disappeared. Those records, the petition said, directly contradicted the stories he told both his ex-wife and law enforcement.
Detectives also noted that Skelton offered vague, conflicting, and often bizarre explanations over the years, including the claim that a secretive group had taken the boys for their safety.
Authorities have repeatedly said they found no evidence such a group existed.
Community Still Haunted
The disappearance deeply affected Morenci, a town of roughly 2,000 residents. For more than a decade, search teams combed fields, woods, and waterways across Michigan and Ohio. Tips came in from around the country, though none yielded a breakthrough.
The town continues to honor the boys’ memory. A plaque bearing their names and photos sits atop a large stone at a park near Bean Creek, engraved with the words: “Faith, Hope, Love.”
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What Happens Next
Skelton is expected to face a series of court hearings in Lenawee County as prosecutors move forward with the new charges. Authorities have not publicly detailed the evidence behind the murder case, but officials say the decision to file charges reflects significant confidence in the investigation’s findings.
Despite the passage of time, officials have not recovered the boys’ remains — a reality that continues to leave the community, and especially their mother, with unanswered questions.
If convicted on the open murder charges, Skelton could face life behind bars.
What do you think about this new development in the long-running Skelton case? Share your thoughts in the comments on mikeandjonpodcast.com.
