Skelton Brothers: Trial to declare three boys dead starts in Lenawee County

The Skelton brothers

ADRIAN, Mich. (FOX 2) - More than 15 years after they disappeared, a trial is underway in Monroe County to declare the Skelton brothers dead – a move that will bring closure to the family and community in Monroe.

The trial started Monday in Adrian to declare Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton dead, 14 years after they were last seen in Morenci, Michigan – a city on the Ohio-Michigan border, a move that was requested by the kids' mom – Tanya Zuvers

WTOL in Toledo has a camera in the courtroom for the trial hearing.

Former Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks was the first to testify, saying he was in contact with the Skelton family prior to their disappearance. He also testified that he was confident that the boys are dead.

"Do you believe John Skelton killed his three children, on or about Nov. 26, 2010?" Zuvers' attorney asked.

"I do," Weeks confirmed.

He also testified about an alleged woman that John Skelton said he left the boys with – Joanne Taylor. He testified that Taylor never existed and it was a cover story that John Skelton concocted.

FBI Detroit Field Office Special Agent Corey Burras testified before lunch. Weeks had called in the FBI to help with the investigation as he testified that it was going to require resources larger than his department.

Burras was asked about John Skelton's laptop – which included searches of "Can rat poison kill a person?" and "Is it odorless and tasteless?"

When asked what that meant to him, Burras said a "Definite interest in finding something that could harm or kill someone."

Burras also testified about a suicide note that John Skelton to Zuvers

According to Burras, the three-page suicide note included: "I guess my actions today guarantee you won't have to see me again or in heaven. I pray God will forgive me, but I know it won't happen. May you find peace in the days to come. You will hate me forever, and I know this."

Burras testified he took that to mean that John Skelton was admitting to killing his children.

"No doubt in my mind that he killed his children," Burras said.

Allexis Stang, representing the brothers, questioned Burras next, and affirmed there was never rat poison purchased.

"Do you think it's possible that, based on all the evidence that you're aware of, that these children are out there in a different country somewhere or in the United States somewhere just not being found?" Stang asked.

"I think their bodies are some place in this area and I don't think they're anywhere else but in this general area," Burras said.

What happened to the Skelton brothers?

The backstory:

The boys, who were aged 9, 7, and 5 at the time, were last seen on Thanksgiving in 2010. The boys spent the holiday with their father, John Skelton, in Morenci, Mich.

Their mother, Tanya Zuvers, was supposed to pick them up from her ex-husband the next day.

In December 2023, Zuvers filed paperwork to have them declared dead to bring some sense of closure.

"This decision came after much thought and discussion with my family and friends. It did not come lightly and was definitely a difficult decision to make. No parent wants to lose a child, but to have to have the courts step in and declare them deceased is just unfathomable," Zuvers wrote in a statement in 2024.

In 2010, when John Skelton didn't bring his kids back to Zuvers, he stopped communicating with her. When 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 eventually able to get inside and found the home a wreck – and no sign of the three boys.

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.

According to the statement from 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.

"At the end of the day, one person is responsible for the disappearance of my sons. That person, at one point, claimed the boys would hibernate until they graduate. As of today, June 14, 2024, all 3 boys are over 18 and all would have graduated high school, yet they have not been returned to me and are still missing," Zuvers wrote.

John Skelton was convicted of unlawful imprisonment of the boys in 2011 and sentenced to 10-15 years. The maximum sentence ends in November of this year – meaning it is likely he will be released in 2025.