Preliminary proceedings against mother who wants missing brothers declared dead

ADRIAN, Michigan – A pretrial hearing was held Thursday in Lenawee County District Court. The mother of three brothers who disappeared in Morenci, Michigan, over a decade ago hopes her brothers will be officially declared dead.

A judge in the state of Michigan has granted Tanya Zuvers’ requests to have Alexander, Andrew and Tanner Skelton declared dead and their request for a trial.

RELATED: Judge approves mother’s motion for trial to declare missing Skelton brothers dead

Roland Parrill, owner of The Dairy Depot in the heart of Morenci, said the case as a whole was shocking to the community.

“A big shock. Especially in a small town you would never believe that something like this could happen,” he said.

He said that although the Skelton brothers’ disappearance was 14 years ago, it was still the talk of the town.

“Every now and then they bring it up,” Parrill said. “Especially now that they want to declare the children dead, it’s an issue.”

Parrill said he was part of the first search party when the brothers disappeared. While he hopes they will be found, he believes Zuvers’ petitions are a good step for the family.

“It has to be done,” he said. “It’s a way to have some closure with them.”

On Thursday, the judge granted the requests of the boys’ mother, Tanya Zuvers.

A judge sentenced John Skelton to 10 to 15 years in prison in 2011 after he was found guilty of three counts of false imprisonment, one for each of his sons. He was eligible for parole several times during his sentence, but the panel denied his request each time.

“I can’t imagine he didn’t do it,” Parrill said. “I just can’t understand it.”

John’s maximum sentence expires on November 29, 2025.

Morenci resident Nancy Webster said the community is concerned about John’s release from prison.

“I would be worried,” she said. “Who knows what he will do.”

Zuvers and her attorney declined to comment after the pretrial hearing.

The court hearing to determine the brothers’ deaths is scheduled for July 29 at 9 a.m.