John Skelton, father of missing Michigan brothers, to be released from prison soon

John Skelton to be released from prison Nov. 29

Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton were last seen on Thanksgiving in 2010. Their father, John Skelton, was convicted of unlawful imprisonment and is due for release in November 2025.

MORENCI, Mich. (FOX 2) - Months after a judge granted an order to declare the missing Skelton brothers dead, their father is about to be released from prison.

John Skelton is nearing the end of a 15-year prison sentence stemming from the unlawful imprisonment of his sons, Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner, who have been missing since 2010.

On Nov. 29, John Skelton will be released from Michigan Department of Corrections custody. He has been eligible for parole since 2020, but the parole board denied his requests for release.

What happened to the Skelton brothers?

The backstory:

The boys – Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, spent the holiday with their father in Morenci, Mich. in 2010. Their mother, Tanya Zuvers, was supposed to pick them up from her ex-husband the next day.

However, she stopped hearing from John Skelton, so she went to his house. He wasn't home because he was at a hospital after he broke his ankle. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, he told hospital workers that he injured his ankle while trying to commit suicide.

(From left to right): Tanner, Andrew, and Tanner

Police were able to get into his home, where they found the house destroyed, but the boys weren't there.

John Skelton is accused of changing the story of where they were while he was at the hospital. He said they were with friends before telling investigators that the boys were given to an unknown woman. He also told police that he gave them to an underground group that would keep them safe.

Phone records helped police place John Skelton the day after his boys were last seen. He had been in Morenci early Nov. 26, 2010. According to Michigan State Police, he went to Ohio. His phone pinged him in Ohio about 20 miles from his home, was shut off, then pinged him back in Morenci about 2 hours and fifteen minutes after he left Michigan.

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.

According to Zuvers, John Skelton previously "claimed that the boys would hibernate until they graduate." All three boys are now old enough that they would have graduated from high school.

Dig deeper:

John Skelton was never charged in connection with the disappearance of his sons. However, he was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison for unlawful imprisonment after pleading no contest to the charges.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Thanksgiving Day 2010 wasn't the first time John Skelton took the boys from Zuvers.

John Skelton was accused of taking the boys out of school two months before their disappearance. It is alleged that he said he was taking them on a trip to Florida, where his parents live.

John Skelton and Zuvers divorced after this, and Zuvers was granted custody of the boys, just before they disappeared.

Boys declared dead:

Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner were declared dead by a judge earlier this year after Zuvers requested such a decision. In Michigan, a person is typically considered to be dead after they have been missing for five years.

Though Lenawee County Judge Catherine Sala ruled that the boys were dead, she said there was not enough evidence to prove that John Skelton killed them.

What you can do:

Anyone with information about the disappearance of the Skelton brothers is asked to contact Michigan State Police at 517-636-0689, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1800-843-5678.

The Source: Previous reporting and court records were used in this story.