Where are the Skelton brothers? Mystery still unsolved as father, John Skelton, charged with murder

Homicide charges filed against father of missing Skelton brothers

Three counts of open murder and tampering with evidence were filed against John Skelton on Wednesday in Lenawee County, according to court records. The charges come just weeks before he was set to be released from prison for unlawful imprisonment of his sons, Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner.

LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Nearly 15 years after his sons disappeared from their Michigan home on Thanksgiving, John Skelton is facing murder charges.

Though these charges bring a glimmer of hope that family members may soon eventually learn what happened to Tanner, Alexander, and Andrew, the boys still have never been found.

The backstory:

The boys – Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, spent Thanksgiving 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.

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.

John Skelton (MDOC)

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.

John Skelton's prison sentence:

John Skelton was charged with three counts of unlawful imprisonment after his boys disappeared. He pleaded no contest to the charges, and has been serving a 10-15-year prison sentence since 2011.

He has been eligible for parole for several years, but the parole board has denied his requests to be released from prison. However, he was nearing the end of his sentence, and was set to get out of prison on Nov. 29.

Skelton murder charges:

Though the boys have never been found, they were declared dead by a judge after a request by Zuvers was granted earlier this year. In Michigan, a person is typically considered to be dead after they have been missing for five years.

At the time of that ruling, Lenawee County Judge Catherine Sala said that though she was declaring them dead, there was not enough evidence to prove that John Skelton killed them.

On Wednesday, three counts of open murder and tampering with evidence were filed against John Skelton in Lenawee County, according to court records.

An arraignment date has not yet been set.

What we don't know:

It isn't clear what evidence has paved the way for murder charges against John Skelton.

Larry Weeks, who was the Morceni police chief when the Skelton brothers disappeared, said his department began treating the case as a murder in 2011 due to evidence they had at that time.

In a statement released after news of the murder charges broke, Weeks said he believes "this is the appropriate next step in the investigation."

Michigan State Police, the agency that is now leading the Skelton disappearance case, declined to comment, saying that the investigation is ongoing.

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.