Skelton Boys: ages 9, 7, and 5, missing 11/26/2010, Morenci, Michigan

[trimmonthelake]

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101220/NEWS16/12200310
Article published December 20, 2010
Prayers, hymns offered as hope hangs on for return of 3 boys

Ronda McCoy, bundled against the cold, holds a candle during a prayer vigil for the three missing Morenci boys. She was among the handful of people who attended the event at the Old Amtrak Village.
( THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT )
Zoom | Photo Reprints
By JIM SIELICKI
BLADE STAFF WRITE
A handful of Toledoans shivered, sang Christmas hymns, and prayed for three missing Morenci brothers at a candlelight vigil Sunday night at a makeshift shrine erected at Old Amtrak Village in South Toledo.
Larry Ocheske, a one-man community improvement motivator for the Old South End neighborhood near the Amtrak station, said he organized the vigil to show people in the Michigan community "that we care. To me, they're just a part of this city."
The Skelton bothers, Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner Skelton, 5, have been missing since Thanksgiving Day.
Their father, John Skelton, had told police he handed them off to a woman and later, after he was charged with parental kidnapping/custodial interference, changed his story to say he gave them to an organization, which he refused to identify.
Police in Morenci discounted the initial story and have not been able to confirm the second account.
n an appearance in Lenawee County Circuit Court Friday, Mr. Skelton told a judge he gave his sons to an "organization."
Mr. Skelton has refused to divulge the organization's name or the boys's whereabouts.
During the vigil the Rev. Dennis Lauman prayed for the boys and their parents.
"We come together because we had a tragedy in our community," prayed Pastor Lauman, a retired minister who is substituting at St. John's Lutheran Church in the Old South End.
"We pray for the mother because she doesn't know where [her sons] are," he said to the six adults and three children gathered at the memorial where Logan Street and Emerald Avenue meet.
The memorial included an Amish buggy Mr. Ocheske had refurbished. Propped against its back was a large cross with gold decoration. A fence that blocks access to an abandoned iron bridge over the railroad tracks was decorated with pictures of the missing boys.
A wreath at the center of the memorial included pictures of the brothers, flanked by small Christmas trees.
During the 10-minute service in 20-degree weather, Pastor Lauman asked for prayers to be said for the boy's father, "because he knows where the boys are, but he's not telling anyone."
Pastor Lauman said he accepted Mr. Ocheske's invitation to attend the vigil to show unity with the community.
After the prayers and a recitation of the boys' names, a small music player sounded Christmas hymns.
Vigil participants joined in softly singing "Away in a Manger" to the accompaniment of steel train wheels screeching behind them as an eastbound freight train slowly approached the Amtrak station in the dark.
The three brothers were last seen in the backyard of Mr. Skelton's home and were reported missing by their mother, Tanya Skelton, the day after Thanksgiving.
During that time Mr. Skelton was taken to a Wauseon hospital to get treatment for an ankle injury suffered in an apparent suicide attempt.
He was later transferred to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, then held in the Lucas County jail before he was extradited to Morenci to face kidnapping charges.
Mr. Skelton, an unemployed truck driver, was arrested Nov. 30 after he was released from the hospital. On Wednesday, he waived a detention hearing and was returned to Michigan.
The missing persons report sparked a massive search of parts of Lenawee County and adjacent Fulton and Williams counties in Ohio, drawing volunteers from Toledo, northwest Ohio, and Michigan.
Susan Hassenzahk, who participated, wrapped in blankets as she sat in her wheelchair, said finding the missing boys would be a fitting gift for their mother and the Morenci community.
"It will be a Christmas miracle if they find the boys," Ms. Hassenzahk said.
Contact: Jim Sielicki at: jsielicki@theblade.com or 419-724-6050

[Sister]

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=AATS

[MuffyBee]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/26212352/detail.html
Video
Tanya Skelton Speaks About Missing Sons
Tanya Skelton: 'For Him To Accuse Me Hurts'
December 21, 2010

DETROIT -- Tanya Skelton spoke with Local 4 on Tuesday about her three missing sons and their father, John Skelton.

She addressed the claims John made about her abusing the children.
"For him to accuse me hurts," Tanya said.

She also talked about the time she spent in prison.

"I am a different person now," Tanya said. "My children get time outs, they don't even get spanked."

Last week, Tanya broke her silence since her sons went missing on Thanksgiving day. Sources said she had been encouraged by police to stay quiet while they interrogated her soon-to-be ex-husband John Skelton on the whereabouts of their boys.

Tanya had a message for her estranged husband:

“Everyone, not just me, not just my family, but everyone has hurt enough. Just tell us where the boys are,” Tanya said

[MuffyBee]

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20101224/NEWS01/12240317/Mother-of-missing-Morenci-boys-holds-out-hope-for-their-safe-return
Mother of missing Morenci boys holds out hope for their safe return
She says their dad would not hurt his kids
December 24, 2010

MORENCI - At Grandma and Grandpa's house, under a Christmas tree adorned with jingle bells from church, handmade crosses and three little angels, sit affectionately wrapped gifts.
To Andrew. To Alexander. To Tanner.

The three Skelton brothers from Morenci, ages 9, 7 and 5, respectively, have been missing for nearly a month. Their father, John Skelton, 39, is in jail, charged with parental kidnapping in their disappearance. Their mother spends her evenings reading Bible passages and praying.
Clinging to faith

Tanya Skelton, 44, told the Free Press that the safe return of her sons would be the greatest gift. Amid caution earlier this month from police that the outcome might be dire and court testimony by her husband that he placed the boys with an organization he won't name, Tanya Skelton said she has faith her sons are alive.

She finds herself turning to Bible passages with messages of hope and believes it is a sign from God.

"I feel in my heart they are alive," she said, "and Him directing us to the word 'hope' tells me that we're not to give up hope."

Tanya Skelton says she hasn't spoken with her estranged husband, John Skelton, since their three boys were reported missing from his Morenci home the Friday after Thanksgiving.

But she told the Free Press on Wednesday that she has been in regular contact with Morenci police and frequently talks to FBI investigators. She said police have received hundreds of tips from around the country about the boys, including at least two alleged sightings in northwest Ohio in the days after Thanksgiving.

Tanya Skelton said police have had her review pictures from surveillance video from Walmart and Meijer stores, whose locations she didn't know, but she didn't see her kids.
Boys know to call 911

Skelton prays for her boys' safe return and emphasized that they know how to call 911 - they once called in a false alarm.

They were at their father's home watching "Kung Fu Panda" when he went upstairs to use the telephone. He was talking to her. One of them had noticed their dad was gone, according to a police report, and called 911 because. Ironically, the boys had thought their father was missing.
The boys went missing from their father's home the day after Thanksgiving.
Skelton said her sons had been with John Skelton beginning at 3 p.m. Wednesday and were to be brought back to her by 3 p.m. Friday. But she called John Skelton to see whether they could come home early.

Tanya Skelton said he told her initially that he and the boys were not at the house and wouldn't be back until the afternoon.

Later that day, she spoke with him again. That's when, she said, John Skelton told her that he was on his way to the hospital because he was hurt and the boys were with "my friend Joann." But Tanya Skelton said he didn't have a phone number for Joann, and she later discovered he had attempted suicide by trying to hang himself in the basement.
Lots of history

The couple married eight years ago. Skelton said she didn't realize they were having problems until her husband took the children out of school one day in September and left with Andrew and Alexander for Florida.

She said he had told her he wanted to move to Florida, but she was hesitant because she is a registered sex offender in Michigan. Court records show she had sexual relations with a 14-year-old in 1998.

After that, she eventually sought a divorce.

Through it all, however, Tanya Skelton says she doesn't believe her estranged husband would harm their sons.

"The John I know," she said, "would not hurt his children."

Though the boys still are missing, Christmas won't be a solemn event. Skelton said her sisters and their children will come by to play games and eat junk food with her.

"I hope for a Christmas miracle," she said, "but there's a part of me that's not letting myself get set on that Christmas miracle."

[Nut44x4]

Skelton waives preliminary hearing, case to proceed to trial

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/skelton-waives-preliminary-hearing,-case-to-proceed-to-trial

I can't open the link.........

[texasmom]

Skelton waives preliminary hearing, case to proceed to trial

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/skelton-waives-preliminary-hearing,-case-to-proceed-to-trial

I can't open the link.........

Skelton waives preliminary hearing, case to proceed to trial



Photographer: WXYZ

Posted: 1:48 PM
Last Updated: 3 hours and 16 minutes ago

ADRIAN, Mich. (WXYZ) - The father of three missing Morenci boys has waived a preliminary examination and will be arraigned on parental kidnapping charges January 5.

John Skelton waived his hearing Monday morning. It had been set for Tuesday. Preliminary examinations are used to determine if there is enough evidence for a case to proceed to trial. By waiving the hearing Skelton ensures that the case will go right to trial.

Skelton is charged in the disappearance of his three young sons. Alexander, Andrew and Tanner Skelton have been missing since Thanksgiving. The last confirmed sighting of the boys was in John Skelton's backyard.

At the time of their disappearance, Skelton told investigators that he gave the boys to a woman named JoAnn Taylor and that they were in her custody. He has since said the boys were in the custody of an "organization." However, police have said that they don't believe Taylor exists and Skelton has declined to identify any specific organization.

Skelton has been in police custody since late November when officials were notified about the missing boys. At the time he said he tried to commit suicide after turning the boys over to Taylor. After being released from an Ohio hospital he was held in the Lucas County jail until he waived extradition to Michigan. He is currently being held in the Lenawee County jail on $30 million bond.

The disappearance of the boys triggered a massive search effort along the Michigan-Ohio border. However, no trace of them has been found and official search activities have been suspended. If you have any information about the boys' location you’re asked to call 517-458-7104. A $10,000 reward has been offered in the case.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x192072433/State-law-to-be-followed-on-release-of-Skelton-documents
State law to be followed on release of Skelton documents
December 29, 2010

ADRIAN, Mich. —

Attorneys representing a Detroit television station and the Lenawee County District Court agreed Tuesday to follow state law in the release of any documents pertaining to a search of the home of the father of three missing Morenci boys.

WDIV sued the district court to gain access to search warrant documents related to the search of John Russell Skelton’s home on East Congress Street in Morenci. Skelton’s sons, Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, were last seen there on Thanksgiving.

Ashley Krueger of the Plymouth law firm Bernardi, Ronayne & Glusac told Lenawee County Circuit Judge Margaret M.S. Noe that WDIV “would like the tabulation (of items removed from Skelton’s home) to be turned over promptly.”

State law suppresses search warrant affidavits for 56 days after the warrants are executed. After that, they may be sealed if a judge agrees to a prosecutor’s request.

“We believe the statues are unclear,” Krueger said. She asked about the possibility of a time limit for when the search warrant tabulation would be released.

Lenawee County Prosecutor Jonathan Poer, who along with Adrian attorney Adrienne Iddings represented district court, said the wording “as permitted by statute” in the order covers any time limits.

Noe said for the court to go beyond the statute would be an “interpretation” of the law. She said WDIV could come back before the court if needed later.

The order stipulates that there are no orders on file to seal any documents pertaining to the Skelton case, there are no court records on file pertaining to the search warrants and that the documents will be made available according to the law.

The attorneys first met with Noe in her chambers then met with District Judge James E. Sheridan before finalizing the order in Noe’s courtroom.

The Skelton case has been before Sheridan.

Skelton, 39, is charged with three counts of parental kidnapping. He testified in a hearing on the custody order between him and his estranged wife, Tanya Skelton of Morenci, that he gave the boys to an “organization,” but has declined to name it.

Skelton waived a preliminary examination of the kidnapping charges Monday and was bound over to Lenawee County Circuit Court for arraignment and a possible trial.

[Nut44x4]

Father of missing Mich. boys waives arraignment
Courtesy of • Detroit Free Press • January 5, 2011

DETROIT — The father of three missing Michigan brothers waived his right to an arraignment in Lenawee County Circuit Court on charges stemming from their disappearance.

John Skelton, 39, who is facing parental kidnapping charges, did not appear in court Wednesday. He will be back in court Feb. 9 for a pretrial hearing.

Skelton is being held on $30 million bond.

His sons - Andrew, Alexander and Tanner, ages 9, 7 and 5 - have been missing since Thanksgiving, when the two oldest were lasts seen in the backyard of Skelton's Morenci, Mich., home.

Skelton told police he gave his sons to an acquaintance before he attempted suicide, but police have said they have found no evidence the woman he described exists. Skelton has also claimed he gave his sons to an organization, which he has not named.

Skelton's lawyer, John Glaser, would not comment Wednesday.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20110105/NATIONWORLD/101050325/Father-of-missing-Mich-boys-waives-arraignment

[MuffyBee]

http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/news/local/Skelton-pleads-not-guilty-to-kidnapping
Skelton pleads not guilty to kidnapping
January 5, 2011

ADRIAN, Mich. (WUPW) - Though still locked up in a Lenawee County jail cell, a not guilty plea was entered on John Skelton's behalf on three parental kidnapping charges during a session Wednesday in Lenawee County Circuit Court.

He will head for a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 9.

The 39-year-old unemployed long-haul truck driver from Morenci, Mich., has another court date in county circuit court later in January on a contempt of court charge in his divorce case with Tanya Skelton.

In December he failed to obey a court order in revealing who he handed his three sons - Andrew, Tanner and Alexander Skelton - to back on Nov. 25, Thanksgiving Day.

The young brothers have not been seen since.

Skelton said he gave the boys to an organization but would not divulge which organization it is or where the group is located.

[MuffyBee]

Here's an article with a little more detail:
http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x2135348167/John-Skelton-pleads-not-guilty-on-kidnapping-charges-avoids-court-appearance
John Skelton pleads not guilty to kidnapping charges, avoids court appearance
January 5, 2011

ADRIAN, Mich. —

John Russell Skelton remained out of sight in a Lenawee County Jail cell Wednesday while a not guilty plea in his parental kidnapping case was entered for him in Lenawee County Circuit Court.

The Morenci father of three boys missing since Thanksgiving was scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 9 before Judge Margaret M.S. Noe in the criminal case. Public defender John Glaser filed a written waiver of arraignment with a not guilty plea, avoiding an appearance in court that would likely have drawn a crowd of television cameras and news photographers.

Skelton, 39, faces another date with Noe this month on a contempt of court charge in his divorce case for failing to obey her order giving custody of the children to their mother, Tanya Skelton.

During a court appearance on Dec. 15, Skelton told Noe he could not obey her custody order because he turned over his sons, Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, to an “organization” he refused to name. He said a woman came to his home in a van on Thanksgiving Day and drove away with the boys.

The couple are in the process of divorcing.

A hearing on the contempt charge is scheduled for Jan. 28. Noe warned Skelton last month there is no limit to the length of time she can keep him in jail for refusing to obey her custody order. The criminal parental kidnapping charges carry a maximum sentence of one year and one day.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks discounted Skelton’s claim of giving his sons to an organization, saying last month he still does not expect the case to have a “positive outcome.”

Police have been sorting through hundreds of tips about the possible whereabouts of the boys.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/fox-2-speaks-to-mother-of-missing-morenci-boys-01072011
video
Missing Morenci Boys' Aunt Calls John Skelton Coward
January 7, 2011

MORENCI, Mich. (WJBK) - 19-year-old Courtney Derby, like her mother, Tanya Skelton, wishes she knew what happened to Andrew, Alexander and Tanner.

The boys' sister spoke only with FOX 2.

"The I love yous and the screaming coming out the door. You forgot to give me a kiss. You forgot to hug me. Even snow, rain … the middle one and the youngest always running out the door. No shoes on, mom's yelling get inside, you're going to get sick. They didn't care. They wanted a kiss from their sister. I mean, that's what I miss," said Derby.

The whole family missed Christmas with the boys. It is on hold for now. Just ask the boys' aunt, Tennille, who said there are gifts that will not be unwrapped until they come home.

She had the following to say to John Skelton, the boys' father.

"Quit being a coward because no man would have done what he has done. Don't be a coward. Tell someone," said Tennille McCain.

The boys' mother said she and John never even spanked the boys, so she does not believe he has it in him to hurt them.

She has heard of the sightings, people in Ohio saying they saw all three of the boys. Her impression is that they may not all be together when they are out.

"Whoever has the children may only be taking them out one at a time because they know it's the three missing brothers, the three missing boys, pictures are distributed in threes," said Tanya Skelton. "Don't look at it as a group of three boys, but as them individual."

"I haven't changed my perception of it, but I'm just saying that I'm not willing to close the door on any hope that they're potentially out there," said Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks.

"Go anywhere, I mean just grab someone of the street. Tell them who you are. Tell them you want to come home to your family," Derby said.

Police Chief Weeks said he does continue to hold out hope that there is a chance that the boys still may be alive.

So far, they have received a thousand tips. If you have any information about these boys' whereabouts, you are asked to call police.

[Wyks]

Muffy, thanks for the updates!   

[Tamikosmom]

John Skelton did not plead forgiveness from his boys.

Janet

++++++

Hope, prayer fills Morenci
Search, Amber Alert continues
Updated: Monday, 29 Nov 2010, 11:44 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 28 Nov 2010, 11:25 PM EST

His Facebook page Wednesday contained the message: "I love my wife very much. May God and Tanya forgive me."

http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/news/local/morenci-mich-hope-prayer-fills-morenci

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/Skelton_Mother_Firing_Back_At_Critics_113189729.html
Skelton Mother Firing Back At Critics
The mother of three missing Morenci children still believes they are alive.
January 10, 2011

In the six weeks since her three boys disappeared, critics have called Tanya Skelton an "unfit mother".
Skelton defends herself by saying that the boys' father John didn't want the boys around her because of an inappropriate relationship she had with a 14-year-old back in 1998.
Even though the boys have not been found, Skelton still doesn't believe her husband put them in a situation where they could be hurt.
Despite the couple's bitter divorce, Tanya still calls John her "best friend".
Meanwhile, police in Morenci say they've received more than a thousand tips of sightings-- but none that have panned out.

[MuffyBee]

http://radioamber.net/?p=4039
January 13, 2011

The three boys, 9 year old Andrew, 7 year old Alexander and 5 year old Tanner Skelton were reported missing on Nov. 26th 2010 from Morenci, Michigan after which a Amber Alert was issued. They were abducted by their father, John Skelton, who was found in neighboring Lucas County, Ohio. According to police John Skelton lied to investigators when he said he gave the boys to a female acquaintance to hand over to their mother before he tried to commit suicide. John Skelton waived extradition and remains incarcerated on a 3 million dollar bond.

Recently John Skelton’s parents, Roxanne and William Skelton, also the children’s grandparents, have said their son, John Skelton, has assured them the children are safe, and insists he is protecting them from their mother. He claims their mother, Tanya Skelton, has been sexually abusing them. Tanya Skelton is on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry for a 1998 conviction.

When asked if they knew where the kids were John Skelton’s parents stated he would not tell them nor did they want him to tell them. They went on to say that their son took the boys out of harm’s way and that they respect him.

Police are still following up on tips, but are not expecting a good outcome to the case. The mystery surrounding this case remains, where are the 3 missing Skelton boys. The answer lies with John Skelton, and thus far he isn’t telling.

[Lovinlife]

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=13847520

Missing Morenci boys continue to generate tips, reports of sightings
Updated: Jan 14, 2011 7:14 PM EST

By Colleen Wells - bio | email
Posted by Nick Dutton - email

MORENCI, MI (WTOL) - It has been nearly two months since 9-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner Skelton went missing.

The boys were last seen on Thanksgiving with their father John Skelton, who is behind bars on parental kidnapping charges.

Investigators say they still receive tips and reports of possible sightings, but that they have not been able to confirm if any are true.

In addition, police have not received any new information from the boys' father.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks continues to lead the investigation into the boys' disappearance and remembers the exact moment he heard they were missing.

"My initial thought was maybe they were just with a family member or a friend," said Weeks. "But as the things progressed Friday, to the point where we could not locate them, it became apparent something was amiss [and] something more significant happened."

Within hours of the boys' disappearance, hundreds of volunteers and dozens of law enforcement officials searched Morenci.

Chief Weeks says at one point 40 investigators were working the case and that more than 1,000 tips poured in. However, Weeks says tips have diminished.

Now, eight investigators from the Morenci Police Department, Michigan State Police and the FBI work the case and continue to follow leads.

"I expressed that fairly early on in the investigation, with my comments about not expecting a positive outcome. My feelings on that haven't changed," said Weeks. "It's been increasingly frustrating… [because] I feel like we've done everything we can do, up to this point… We haven't seen the results we want to see."

Weeks is regularly asked about the case, but says that bringing the boys home is really the only way to measure progress – and so far he has been unable to locate Andrew, Alexander and Tanner.

Copyright 2011 WTOL. All rights reserved.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/26527869/detail.html
Auction To Benefit Skelton Brothers Fund
January 18, 2011

MORENCI, Mich. -- An auction is planned to help boost the money in the reward fund aimed at helping bring home three missing Michigan brothers from Morenci.

The auction is planned for 6 p.m. on March 19 at Morenci Area High School. All funds raised will go to the Skelton Brothers Reward Fund.

The Skelton brothers -- Alexander, 9, Andrew, 7, and Tanner, 5, -- haven't been seen since Thanksgiving while they were in the care of their father, John.

They were reported missing the following day by their mother, Tanya Skelton, when their father didn't bring them home after an arranged visit.

Law enforcement and community volunteers have searched the both sides of the Michigan-Ohio state line for the boys.

At a previous court hearing, the 39-year-old father said he gave his sons to someone from an "organization" who visited his home on Thanksgiving.

Before that, he had told police that he had turned them over to a female acquaintance to be returned to Tanya Skelton.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said then that he remained skeptical of the father's claims, adding, "We're not expecting a positive outcome."

During an earlier interview with Local 4, the boys' mother, Tanya Skelton, said her intuition still tells her "that my boys are alive and that they're with someone they know."

The community can donate items for the auction.

The high school is located at 700 East Coomer Street.

All monies remaining in the fund following the boy’s return will be allocated to the Morenci Elementary School, Morenci Education Foundation and/or the Wakefield Park to provide recreational and educational opportunities for area youth. There will be a committee to decide this disbursement.

The fund currently has more than $10,000 in it.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110122/NEWS06/101220381/1322/Search-warrant-suppressed-in-Morenci-case
Search warrant suppressed in Morenci kidnapping case
January 22, 2011

A district court judge has ordered the suppression of search warrant documents in the case against a Morenci man accused in the disappearance of his sons.

John Skelton is facing parental kidnapping charges in the disappearance of his sons -- Andrew, Alexander and Tanner, ages 9, 7 and 5, respectively -- who have been missing since Thanksgiving.

Authorities searched his home soon after the boys were reported missing.

Lenawee County Prosecutor Jonathan Poer said he submitted the motion asking the search warrant documents be suppressed because the investigation is ongoing. Judge James Sheridan of the 2A District Court signed the order.

According to the order, the documents will be "suppressed pending the conclusion of the investigation or until further order of the judge, or 180 days after the date of the suppression order, whichever comes first."

Skelton told police he gave his sons to an acquaintance before attempting suicide, but police have said they found no evidence the woman he described exists.

Skelton also has said he gave his sons to an organization, which he has not named.

The disappearance prompted residents of the small town near the Ohio border and many from Ohio to fan out in rural areas, searching for the boys.

The boys' mother, Tanya Skelton, has said she holds out hope that the children are alive.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20460139,00.html
Mother of Three Missing Michigan Boys Holds Hope They're Alive
January 24, 2011


Tanner, 5, Andrew, 9, and Alexander Skelton, 7
Courtesy Tanya Skelton

Nearly two months after three Morenci, Mich., brothers disappeared, the children's mother holds hope they'll be found safe.

"In my heart, I feel that they are still alive, and I just am waiting for the right clue or tip to come in, or for their father to finally decide to tell who he gave the children to," Tanya Skelton, 44, says in an interview with PEOPLE.

The boys' dad, John Skelton, 39, told police several accounts about what he did with 5-year-old Tanner, 7-year-old Alexander and 9-year-old Andrew the day after Thanksgiving.

He said he gave them to a pastor's wife named Joann Taylor because he was going to commit suicide. Then he said he gave them to an "organization."

Then he got a lawyer and stopped talking.

After investigating various leads, Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks on Nov. 30 announced that police "do not expect a positive outcome here." More than a month later, Weeks tells PEOPLE his expectation "remains the same, and we're certainly skeptical about any stories or information that (the father) puts out there."
Mother Traumatized
Tanya says that after the boys disappeared that "my blood pressure went through the roof" and she spent two days sedated in the hospital.
"When I finally came back to the world, it wasn't with thoughts that they were gone but that they are alive and I need to find them," she says.

But she clings the belief her estranged husband didn't harm her children. She says the John Skelton she lived with for 10 years would cook, play games and wrestle with his kids the second he came home from his truck driving job, and sometimes he'd bring one or two of his sons on a delivery.

She adds Skelton is a nonviolent man who doesn't even like to argue. He never so much as hit the boys, she says, and she can't imagine he'd do worse.

"If I'd want an argument, he'd say calmly, 'We're done,' and then we'd work things out," she says.

She thinks that Skelton isn't talking because he's protecting whomever has the boys; that person, she adds, is being careful not to let the boys be seen together because police are looking for three brothers.

"They're going to bring them out one at a time," she says.

Skelton is in custody on charges of kidnapping and of contempt of court for withholding information on the boys' whereabouts. He could get up to three years on the kidnapping, and can be held indefinitely on the latter charge.

His attorney, John Glaser, says his client doesn't have any comment for the media.
Odd Behavior
Tanya Skelton says John started acting strangely last September, after he took the boys out of school for a trip to Florida, saying he hoped to relocate there. She says little Tanner hid behind her as she tried to stop Skelton from leaving, and she had to go to court in Florida to compel him to return to Michigan with Alexander and Andrew.

She says she then filed for divorce only to secure primary custody and block John from moving the boys out of the area, and that she then went into counseling with him with hopes of keeping the family together.

"I wanted it to work," she says. "I wanted that happy family of five again."

Tanya says she agreed to let John have the boys for Thanksgiving never imagining they wouldn't be returned.

"The deeper and longer it goes," she says, her voice breaking, "the more I realize this isn't the man I fell in love with."

"I should be tucking my boys into bed and reading them stories, and not lying awake at night thinking about what happened," she says. "It's so hard that we're coming up on two months and nobody is coming forward. It's hard – and it hurts."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x1235859010/Skelton-due-back-in-court-Friday
Skelton due back in court Friday
January 25, 2011

ADRIAN, Mich. —

The Morenci man jailed on charges of failing to return his three sons to their mother after a Thanks­giving visit is headed back to court on Friday where a judge will ask again for their return.

John Russell Skelton, 39, is to appear before Lenawee County Circuit Judge Margaret M.S. Noe for a contempt of court hearing for violating her order giving custody of the boys to Tanya Skelton. The hearing was set on Dec. 17 when Skelton was brought to court to answer a custody violation complaint.

At that time Skelton told the court he was unable to comply because he did not know where they were. He told Noe he had turned over Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, to someone from an “organization.” He said that person left his Morenci home with the boys on Thanksgiving.

He refused to identify the organization.

Noe warned Skelton he could be held in jail indefinitely if found guilty of contempt in violating the court’s custody order.

Skelton faces up to a one-year prison term if convicted of felony custodial kidnapping charges that he faces in a separate criminal prosecution. He pleaded not guilty to those charges by written waiver of arraignment on Jan. 5. A hearing in the criminal case is scheduled for Feb. 9 before Noe.

No developments in the investigation have been announced by Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks since volunteers searched the Morenci area and in several Ohio communities near Morenci.

Weeks has said he does not expect a “positive” outcome of the case.

A Detroit television station went to court last month, seeking access to documents involving a police search of Skelton’s home after Thanksgiving.

At a hearing on Dec. 28 before Noe, attorneys for WDIV and Lenawee County District Court agreed to follow state law in regard to the search warrant documents. Search warrant affidavits are sealed for 56 days after a warrant is executed, and state law allows documents to be ordered sealed after that if requested by a prosecutor.

District Judge James E. Sheridan signed a suppression order for search warrant documents in the Skelton investigation on Jan. 6.

The documents were ordered sealed “to protect the ongoing investigation and to protect the privacy of the victims ... pending the conclusion of said investigation or until further order of this honorable court.”