Mother of missing Skelton boys asks court to declare them dead

MORENCI, Michigan – The mother of the three Morenci brothers who disappeared more than a decade ago is asking a Michigan court to declare them legally dead.

An attorney for Tanya Zuvers filed three petitions in Lenawee County Probate Court asking that Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton be declared legally dead.

Zuvers wrote in a public statement on her Facebook page: “In December 2023, three petitions were filed in Lenawee County Probate Court regarding my sons Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton. I request the courts to declare Andrew, Alexander and Tanner legally dead.”

Zuvers reported her three sons missing on November 26, 2010. According to authorities, their father, John Skelton, did not return them to Zuvers.

“This decision was made after much thought and discussion with my family and friends. It was not an easy decision for me and was definitely a difficult one. No parent wants to lose a child, but that the courts have to intervene and declare him dead is simply unbelievable,” Zuvers said in a written statement on Friday evening.

You can read the family’s full statement here:

The three brothers were young at the time of their disappearance in 2010; Alexander was seven, Andrew was nine and Tanner was five.

“Ultimately, one person is responsible for the disappearance of my sons. That person once claimed the boys were hibernating until they graduated. Today, June 14, 2024, all three boys are over the age of 18 and would have all graduated from high school, but they have not been returned to me and are still missing,” Zuvers said.

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 son. He was eligible for parole several times during his sentence, but the court denied his request each time. His maximum sentence expires on November 29, 2025.

Skelton claimed he handed the boys over to an “underground group.” Investigators have never presented any evidence to support his claim.

Zuvers had previously stated that she believed her sons were dead.

Zuvers said she and her family asked for privacy while they process the situation.