The new discovery could bring closure to a small town that has been through so much. Father of Missing Skelton Brothers Says He Gave Three Boys to 'Underground Sanctuary': 'I Miss Their Voices', PEOPLE Explains: Possible Link Between Skeletal Remains Found In a Shed and 3 Missing Brothers, Police Investigating Possible Link Between Skeletal Remains Found in a Shed & 3 Missing Brothers, Neighbor Named as Suspect in Disappearance of 19-Year-Old Utah Farmer Dylan Rounds, Texas Rangers Launch Homicide Probe Into Death of 16-Year-Old Runaway Who Vanished in 2000, Mom of Dylan Rounds, Who Vanished from His Remote Utah Farm in May, Tells PEOPLE She Fears He Was Murdered, Skeletal Remains Found in 1974 Identified as Missing Teen Susan Poole, Possible Link to Florida Serial Killer, Texas Officials Identify Remains of Taylor Pomaski, Missing Girlfriend of Ex-NFL Player Kevin Ware, Former Youth Pastor Goes on Trial in Murder of Boy, 16, Whose Dismembered Remains Were Found Behind Dumpster, Wash. When he didnt return the boys, and Zuvers couldnt get a clear answer from him about where they were, she became worried. Skelton says he now regrets giving the boys away. He was supposed to return them to their mother on Black Friday, Nov. 26, 2010. Investigators have been mystified as to what happened to them. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Despite this, the father eventually returned his sons to Michigan and was having visitation without complications. MASSIVE BRAWL BREAKS OUT AT MCDONALDS IN MICHIGAN. On Friday, Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson Chris Gautz . Officials at theMissoula County Coroner's Office added that their"hearts and prayers go out to the families of those who live with the pain and loss of having a missing family member.". John Skelton was sentenced in September of 2011 for unlawful imprisonment in the case of his sons, the three Skelton brothers, who were reported missing in 2010. Significant assistance has also been provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The corrections department did an internal review of cases and found . Local 4 visited an Amish bakery in Camden, Michigan. After the visit, Skelton failed to return his children to their mother as scheduled, and told authorities he had instead sent his sons away to live a better life on an Ohio farm near the Indiana border. February 9, 2018 / 4:22 PM Related Pages. It's been seven years since anyone has seen Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer. In February 2018, he told WDIV that he gave the boys to two women and a man who planned to take the boys to a farm in Ohio. Age-progression photos show what missing Michigan brothers Andrew Skelton, 19, Alexander Skelton, 17, and Tanner Skelton, 15, could look like now. Eight years after three young brothers went missing from their Morenci, Michigan, hometown, questions still loom about their disappearance. Police confirmed the remains were undergoing DNA testing in Texas to determine who the skeletons belonged to. When bone fragments were found in September, authorities launched an investigation to see if they were connected to the Skelton brothers. Date Person(s) Age Missing from Circumstances Ref. Posted at 2:03 PM, Dec 15, 2017. and last updated 11:03 AM, Dec 15, 2017. Recreate the skeletons and submit a picture of your skeletons to your instructor with each of the bones labeled. The Skelton brothers were only 9, 7, and 5 years old when they went missing from Morenci, Michigan, on November 25, 2010. Authorities investigating the missing Skelton brothers had hoped the discovery of bone fragments from three children in a Montana shed last Sept. would bring closure to the case of the three missing brothers, who vanished from Michigan in 2010 but testing has revealed they are not a match. Market data provided by Factset. John Skelton and Zuvers divorced after this, and Zuvers was granted custody of the boys, just before they disappeared. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. According to Michigan State Police, he went to Ohio. "That has all been investigated," Zuverssaid. Now, Michigan State Police are investigating whether the remains of three kids . In August 2022, he was denied parole, but he is able to reapply in a year. He had been in Morenci early Nov. 26, 2010. We are thankful for all your thoughts and prayers. More than a decade later, John Skelton has not identified the organization he says has Alexander, Tanner, and Andrew and nobody has come forward claiming to have the boys. Jenn is a lawyer-turned-author and true crime writer. Corrections Department Spokesman Chris Gautz says Skelton didn't give a reason for skipping the hearing. Human remains discovered in Montana have now been deemed to likely be of children. Brothers were 9, 7 and 5, respectively, when they . Anyone with information is asked to call Michigan State Police at 517-636-0689, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1800-843-5678. Copyright 2023 The Inquisitr. The boys' mother, TanyaZuvers, said she was made aware of the possible new development, as well. Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner Skelton, 5, went missing over Thanksgiving weekend in 2010. Market data provided by Factset. All rights reserved. The most recent photo was released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children last November, showing what the boys may look like at 19, 17, and 15 years old. Andrew Skelton, 9, Alexander . Raise awareness and help find missing children with this video from the National Center for Missing and Exploited . Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton, of Morenci, Mich., were in their father John Skelton's care when they went missing over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2010. It's been more than eight years since Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton disappeared on Thanksgiving Day 2010 and the case remains unsolved. It's not like they would hide them.". There is also no proof the remains are related. "I just remember it was in the paper every day," she said. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. More forensic testing will hopefully provide some answers. MICHIGAN WOMAN SAYS VIDEO SHOWS POLICE OFFICER SLAMMED HER TO GROUND. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The remains are being entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, but given their age and condition, officials may have difficulty identifying them. John Skelton, the father of three brothers who went missing more than a decade ago, will not be given parole this year. Several police agencies are working together to sort out the possible development in the case. February 12, 2018. Call 1-800-843-5678 if you have a tip about a missing child. This means that he will likely have to wait another year to try to be paroled. Police said the remains were initially taken to an anthropologist at the University of Montana. by Annie Werbler, Contributor. who disappeared from Morenci, Michigan more than 7 years ago, Back in December,Michigan State Police said an investigation was underway, he said the Montana bones were not his boys'. She reported her sons missing the Friday after Thanksgiving. Book Author. 02/05/18 AT 12:00 PM EST. "Yeah, those are not my boys.". The father-of-three has since claimed he gave his sons to a group of child-protective activists to shield them from their mother, who he alleged was abusive. The remains of three children discovered in the shed of a Montana home last year are not connected to three missing brothers from Michigan. Gary O'Brien is wanted by Interpol for their abduction. He has not been charged in connection with the disappearance of his sons. Anyone with information about the Skelton brothers case is asked to contact police at 517-636-0689 or submit a tip online at michigan.gov/michtip. . KECI-TVreported testing on the bones found in the sheddetermined the ages of the deceased to be around 2-4 years old, 5-8 years old and 6-10 years old. Skelton, 49, pleaded no contest to unlawful imprisonment but has not been charged in the . Around the time his sons went missing and he attempted to kill himself, he had lost his job in addition to his marriage. We are processing it and hopeful that we will have answers soon. "There was what appeared to be bone from a lower jaw, and others that were not as specifically described, but I would call them pieces of bone. When you see three boys that were all very close, from a close-knit community, and that the last person that ever saw them was their own father, and seven years later we still dont have them, I mean, that story is pretty tragic, Brewer said in 2017. In court, Judge . John Skelton said he gave the boys away to an underground group to protect them from their mother. I just wish answers could be given, I believe more than one person knows something, I believe that its not just John who has the answers [if they] could find it in themselves to come forward.. Skelton pleaded no contest to three counts of unlawful imprisonment in September 2011, after he claimed he gave the boys to unknown individuals. Box of bones found in Montana do NOT belong to the Skelton brothers. But to say that I abused my sons, (that) kills me.. My dream job was to be a mom, and it is the greatest job in the world. Some of these children have been missing since the beginning of the year while others just a week. The Skelton brothers disappeared while with their father during a scheduled visitation the Thanksgiving holiday in 2010. . Janet Lee Lucas, born in . Then once you are completed with your project please follow the instructions in the photo above to submit a PDF file. One of John's claims is that he handed the boys off to an underground network, possibly tied to the Amish community. Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson Chris Gautz told The Daily Telegram that the longest he can stay imprisoned for is November 29, 2025. There, archaeologists found the remains of at least 35 young men aged 16 to 25. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The Michigan-based Skelton family had no connection to the western state, but the bones appeared to match the ages of the brothers at the time of their disappearance. The elder Skelton and the boys mother Tanya Zuvers were at the time involved in a bitter custody dispute. MORENCI, Mich. The disappearance of the Skelton brothers has haunted the small town of Morenci, Michigan, for more than a decade. / CBS Detroit. The Sheriffs Office sent the remains to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification. It is alleged that he said he was taking them on a trip to Florida, where his parents live. Tanner Skelton (L); Alexander Skelton (Center); Andrew Skelton (R). By David K. Li. In my mind, I still see them as 5, 7, and 9. He said this person was with an organization that was going to protect the children, claiming the brothers were being abused by their mother, according to CBS Detroit. The Missoula County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook announcement Friday that a forensic examination of the remains at the University of North Texas excluded the three Skelton brothers. Zuvers filed for divorce on September 13, 2010, the same day John Skelton allegedly signed Alexander and Andrew out of school and took them to Jacksonville, Florida. The . At 11pm on Friday 26 November 2010, an AMBER Alert is issued for the missing Skelton children. That has all been investigated, Zuvers said. Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton missing since 2010. They would. The Skelton boys' father claimed to have given them to "a group." Their mother, Tanya Zuvers, was supposed to pick them up from her ex-husband the next day. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. Michigan police are investigating whether the partial remains of three children found in the shed of a rental home in Missoula, Montana, could belong to brothers . He alleged that Zuvers had abused the boys, she denies that allegation. John Skelton's phone was traced to Ohio the following day. He wasn't home because he was at a hospital after he broke his ankle. "They would. It was a relief to those who have spent over a decade searching for the three boys. Search parties looked for the boys, but they haven't been found and John Skelton hasn't told anyone where they actually are or if they are even still alive, aside from his stories of giving them to unknown people.