A Michigan man who has been incarcerated in connection with the disappearance of his three sons has been denied parole.
John Skelton, 48, will spend at least two more years behind bars for the unlawful imprisonment of his sons, Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner, who disappeared in 2010. A Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson told the Toledo Blade that Skelton was determined to pose a threat to the public.
Incarcerated since 2011, John Skelton has not been charged in connection with his sons’ unsolved disappearances. He was arrested shortly after the boys — Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5 — vanished from the backyard of his Morenci home on November 26, 2010.
John Skelton and the boys’ mother, Tanya Zuvers, were in the middle of a contentious divorce when the boys disappeared. Zuvers had sole custody but allowed John to be with his sons for the Thanksgiving holiday.
OFFICIAL FAMILY STATEMENT…Today, our family received a letter from the Michigan Department of Corrections, Parole…
Posted by Missing ~ Skelton Brothers, Morenci, Michigan on Tuesday, September 15, 2020
READ More: Seven years and still no answers: What happened to the Skelton Brothers?
Police learned through a series of interviews that John Skelton had traveled to Holiday City, Ohio, 25 miles from his home, around the time Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner disappeared. Further, court records alleged that he had searched online about how to break a neck a week before Thanksgiving, according to the Stateline Observer.
Cellphone records suggest John Skelton took the trip between 4:29 a.m. and 6:46 a.m. Investigators have focused on that time window — as they believe that’s when he killed his sons or dumped their bodies, according to WDIV.
John Skelton has maintained his innocence, said he gave his sons to a group of child-protective activists to protect them from their mother. Nearly a decade later, he has not identified the organization — and nobody has stepped forward claiming they have the boys.
State records indicate that John Skelton’s maximum release date is November 2025. The missing boys’ mother said his eligibility for parole will not be reviewed until 2022.
She said, “We are very thankful that our prayers were answered and that the Parole Board came to the correct decision.”
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[Featured Image: Tanner, Andrew, and Alexander Skelton/Facebook]
