Michigan Mother Requests Judge to Declare Her Three Missing Sons Dead Nearly 15 Years After Their Disappearance

ADRIAN, Mich.—A woman from Michigan is petitioning a judge to officially declare her three missing sons deceased, nearly 15 years after their father failed to return them following Thanksgiving. Their disappearance has deeply affected a small town near Ohio and remains a mystery.

Authorities are convinced that the brothers are no longer alive and hold strong suspicions that John Skelton is to blame, although he has not been charged with their homicide. He is set to complete a 15-year prison term for his conviction related to not returning the boys to their mother, Tanya Zuvers, which is the only legal resolution in this distressing saga.

A judge in Lenawee County will begin to hear testimonies on Monday during a somewhat uncommon proceeding. The list of witnesses includes Zuvers and police investigators who will openly discuss the extensive efforts over the years to uncover any information on Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton.

Since November 2010, Zuvers has hoped that someone would “heal her broken heart” with news about her sons or that John Skelton would clarify what truly occurred, as stated by her attorney, R. Burke Castleberry, in a court document.

“Sadly, none of that has come to fruition,” he noted.

Nathan Piwowarski, an attorney from Cadillac, Michigan, with expertise in probate and estate law, explained that there are various reasons to seek a declaration of death, including “[personal] closure for the family.”

A court declaration could also “empower someone to file a wrongful death or other civil lawsuit,” added Piwowarski, who is not participating in the ongoing case.

Castleberry declined to provide comments prior to the hearing. Skelton, 53, did not respond to an email dispatched to him in prison regarding the petition made by Zuvers.

The brothers, ages 9, 7, and 5, resided in Morenci, a small town adjacent to the Ohio border, located 100 miles southwest of Detroit. Zuvers was in the process of obtaining a divorce from Skelton in the fall of 2010, and the boys were with him, just a few doors down, over Thanksgiving.

They were expected to return to Zuvers the following morning. Instead, they vanished. Investigators later found that Skelton’s phone was in Ohio at 4:30 a.m. before it was turned off, then powered back on at 6 a.m. in Morenci.

Skelton has denied harming his children, asserting that they were with a clandestine group for their protection, alongside other vague explanations, according to law enforcement officials.

Search efforts spanning several weeks took place in the woods and waterways of Michigan and Ohio. While incarcerated, Skelton informed authorities that a man who assists individuals in leaving Amish communities might have information about the boys, however, Castleberry indicated that this claim was “just another fabrication.”

During the court hearing, investigators “will reveal the absurd, unbelievable tales spun by John Skelton, leading authorities on one wild goose chase after another,” Castleberry stated.

Time has continued to pass, yet the community in Morenci has not forgotten the Skelton brothers. A memorial plaque bearing their names and likenesses is affixed to a rock in a park near Bean Creek. It reads, “Faith, Hope, Love.”

By Ed White