The father of three Michigan boys who went missing seven years ago is standing by his story that he gave his children away, but admits he regrets his decision.
Andrew, Alexander and Tanner, disappeared after visiting their father on Thanksgiving Day in 2010. The boys were ages nine, seven and five years old, respectively, when they vanished from their home in Morenci, Michigan
Their father, John Skelton, was supposed to bring the children back to their mother, Tanya Skelton – now Tanya Zuvers – but he never did, police say.
An Amber Alert was issued and the FBI joined the massive search that spanned through both Michigan and Ohio for the boys, but they were never found.
Skeleton told WDIV on Sunday that he gave the boys to an ‘underground sanctuary’ farm in Ohio along the Indiana border.
He claimed he gave the boys to two women and a man, and said the boys would have a better life there with a new family.
Skelton (left), was supposed to bring the children back to their mother, Tanya Skelton (right) – now Tanya Zuvers – but he never did, police say. Skelton said he gave the boys to an ‘underground sanctuary’ farm in Ohio along the Indiana border for ‘a better life’
An Amber Alert was issued and the FBI joined the massive search (above) that spanned through both Michigan and Ohio for the boys
At the time of their disappearance, their mother, Zuvers, told WDIV: ‘I wonder, are they scared? Are they crying for me?
‘It’s so hard to imagine them hurting for me and not being able to do anything about it.’
Authorities arrested Skelton and he is serving 10 to 15 years at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan, on an unlawful imprisonment charge.
He spent most of his sentence in segregation, but he was transferred to protective custody in September.
‘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 don’t have them, I mean, that story is pretty tragic,’ Lt Detective Jeremy Brewer said.
Skelton (pictured) claimed he gave the boys to two women and a man, and said the boys would have a better life there with a new family but says he regrets the decision
Authorities arrested Skelton and he is serving 10 to 15 years at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan, on an unlawful imprisonment charge. John’s story about what happened to his young sons has changed over the years, police say
John also claimed that by giving the boys away he was trying to keep them out of harm’s way. In the late 1990s, Tanya (above) was charged with fourth-degree criminal misconduct for having sex with a 14-year-old boy
On the last night with the boys, Skelton says he made the boys their favorite meal, fried chicken, and a cake to celebrate Andrew’s birthday.
They ate dinner together then watched a karate movie before bed, which was around 10pm,
The next evening, Skelton said he sent the boys to an ‘underground sanctuary’ near the Indiana and Ohio border to live with two women and a man in their 60s.
Skelton told the news station that he told the boys they would have a better life with a new family who would buy them the farm boots they had been asking for and let them ride on a tractor whenever they wanted.
A group has never been found or come forward to claim they had the children, police say.
‘I miss their voices,’ he told WDIV reporter Sandra Ali.
The National Center for Missing Children has created age-progressed photos of what they might look like (above). In December, the partial remains of three children were found in the shed of a rental home in Missoula, Montana, and the remains are being tested for DNA
Skelton also claimed that by giving the boys away he was trying to keep them out of harm’s way with their mother.
In the late 1990s, she was charged with fourth-degree criminal misconduct for having sex with a 14-year-old boy.
He has alleged that she was abusing her sons, but she claims that’s not true.
‘That has all been investigated,’ Tanya told WDIV.
‘My stuff was gone through. My children come first. Always have, always will.
‘My dream job was to be a mom, and it is the greatest job in the world. But to say that I abused my sons, [that] kills me.’
The National Center for Missing Children has created age-progressed photos of what they might look like.
In December, the partial remains of three children were found in the shed of a rental home in Missoula, Montana.
Investigators are working to determine whether the remains could be those of the Skelton boys.
The remains have been sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for DNA testing, which runs the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. According to authorities, this process could take months.