Nearly 15 years after their father failed to return them after Thanksgiving, a Michigan mother is requesting that a judge proclaim her three missing sons dead. The mysterious disappearance has plagued a little hamlet near Ohio.
Although John Skelton has not been charged with the murder of his sons, authorities believe the brothers are dead and have a strong suspicion that he is the culprit.
As the only conviction in the story, he is set to serve out his 15-year prison term by November for failing to return the youngsters to Tanya Zuvers.
At an unprecedented hearing, a Lenawee County judge will start hearing testimony on Monday.
Zuvers is on the list of witnesses, along with police investigators who will speak in public about the years-long search for Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton.
According to a court filing by lawyer R. Burke Castleberry, Zuvers has been praying since November 2010 that someone “would cure her broken heart” by providing information regarding their location or that John Skelton would clarify the truth.
“Heartbreakingly, none of that has occurred,” he stated.
“Personal closure for the family” is one of the many reasons why someone might be pronounced dead, according to Nathan Piwowarski, a probate and estate law specialist in Cadillac, Michigan.
According to Piwowarski, who is not engaged in the case, a court ruling might also “give someone authority to pursue a wrongful death claim or other civil claim.”
Prior to the hearing, Castleberry chose not to comment. An email regarding Zuvers’ petition was sent to Skelton, 53, while he was incarcerated, but he did not reply.
The boys, who were five, seven, and nine years old, resided in Morenci, a little town 100 miles (161 kilometers) southwest of Detroit that is close to the Ohio border.
In the fall of 2010, Zuvers was pursuing a divorce from Skelton, and the boys spent Thanksgiving with him a few doors away.
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The following morning, they were to head back to Zuvers. Rather, they had vanished. Skelton’s phone was in Ohio around 4:30 a.m., police later discovered, before being switched off and then turned back on at 6 a.m. in Morenci.
Among other hazy explanations, police said Skelton denied hurting his sons and claimed they were joining an underground gang for their safety.
In Michigan and Ohio, people searched the woods and lakes for weeks. Skelton told officials while incarcerated that a man who assists individuals in leaving Amish villages might be aware of the youngsters, but Castleberry called this “another lie.”
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According to Castleberry, investigators during the court hearing “will detail the farfetched, unfathomable yarns John Skelton spun, leading authorities on one wild goose chase after another.”
Even though years have gone by, the Skelton brothers are still remembered in Morenci. At a park close to Bean Creek, a plaque bearing their names and pictures is affixed to a rock. “Faith, Hope, Love,” it reads.
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