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

[Tamikosmom]

Issues with JVM - HLN

Right Now!!!

[Leroy]

Issues with JVM - HLN

Right Now!!!

Thanks Janet!

[Lenie]

Sorry OT but Leroy could you tell me what kind of dog that is in your picture? Thanks

[Leroy]

Sorry OT but Leroy could you tell me what kind of dog that is in your picture? Thanks

He is a white german shepherd!

[cw618]

justwondering
http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=9032.msg1270588#msg1270588

TY i didnt know those type of crimes had a name/The Family Annihilator
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/266087/the_family_annihilator_fathers_who.html?cat=72
The Family Annihilator - Fathers Who Kill
4 pgs
in hindsight JS fits the profile
snips
pg 1
Fathers who kill their children, and frequently their wives as well,  are known as "Family Annihilators" to criminal psychologists or psychiatrists, and to law
enforcement. They are not mentally ill, but coldly calculating, and often spend months planning their crimes. Because they often kill themselves too
The major factors leading men to kill their families include impending divorce, male sexual jealousy, an obsession with control, and possessiveness
there are definite differences between men and women who kill or harm their children. He says that women tend to be mentally ill, frequently suffering from post-partum depression. Men, on the other hand, feel rage, jealousy, hatred, and revenge when they kill their families.

snips pg 2
American television leads most of us to seek a profile for killer "types." Dr. Levin has provided a profile of the family annihilator as a middle-aged man, who appears to others (outside the family) to
be a  good provider, a loving father, and a faithful and loving husband. But he tends to be isolated, with no close friends or support system of his own, aside from his family. He has suffered with feelings of inadequacy and some form of long frustration. Ultimately, he suffers some catastrophic loss which leads to his crime. This trigger may be the loss of his job, or loss of money through a bad investment, but sometimes it is the impending loss of his wife. He doesn't hate his children, although he may hate his wife and blame her for his own problems. He has previously been a controlling man, within the family, but now feels powerless. Dr. Levin's belief is that the family annihilator wants revenge against his wife.

snip pg 3
Men who kill their families, these annihilators, usually have no criminal record. They are the perfect citizen, with jobs as doctors, lawyers, businessmen, military personnel, or even law enforcement officers. They are not drug or alcohol abusers, nor are they usually under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they kill. Their sudden attack on their family may appear to come out of the blue. Levin states, though, that if they had been seen by psychologists prior to committing their murders, those psychologists would have noticed warning signs of rage, and of blaming others for their problems. They would also notice that these men think of their families as their possessions. Some experts believe, however, that there may be prior patterns of domestic abuse in these families, even though it is not always reported.

snip from pg 4
Can crimes like this be prevented? Probably not. Dr. Yellowlees said that it can take a long time, even years, for a woman to realize that her husband views her as a possession, and that "initially, a woman can feel flattered" if her partner displays jealousy. By the time she realizes the degree of his possessiveness, it may be too late. Whether this obsessive possiveness leads to rage or frustration and feelings of failure, the family annihilator believes his best course of action is to destroy his family, and he does so with cunning and careful planning.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/02/michigan.missing.boys/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn
Police call for end of volunteer searches for missing Michigan boys
December 2, 2010

CNN) -- Police are asking that the volunteer searches for three missing Michigan brothers be stopped by Friday night.

Local authorities and federal investigators have been trying to find 9-year-old Andrew Skelton, 7-year-old Alexander William Skelton and 5-year-old Tanner Skelton last seen on Thanksgiving.

The end of the volunteer searches will allow authorities the opportunity to process what has been done and collected and to "re-evaluate our direction for the following week," said Larry Weeks, police chief of Morenci, Michigan.

John Skelton, the boys' father who has been charged with parental kidnapping, is fighting his extradition from Ohio, authorities said Wednesday. A hearing is set for December 14.

Skelton was arrested Tuesday upon his release from a mental health facility where he was being treated after a suicide attempt, Weeks said.
Although investigators have found "a number of items," they still do not know the children's whereabouts, Weeks said.

Asked whether he believes that the boys are dead, Weeks said Wednesday, "I refuse to believe that at this point," saying he wanted to maintain hope. He did, however, repeat his Tuesday statement that a positive outcome is not anticipated.

Investigators have not spoken with Skelton "in some time," he said, or developed any additional information. He previously said authorities are skeptical of the information Skelton has provided.

Skelton said he left the three boys with a woman, whom he identified as Joann Taylor, the morning before he tried to take his own life -- in part to ensure that they did not witness his suicide attempt.

Skelton said Taylor was supposed to take the boys to their home in Morenci, a southern Michigan town of about 2,400 people about 40 miles west-northwest of Toledo, Ohio, Friday afternoon, Weeks said. But the boys never arrived.

Earlier, authorities determined that Skelton had no "established relationship" with the person he named as Taylor, and they aren't certain that she even exists.

Authorities continue to ask for the public's help, hoping someone saw Skelton's blue 2000 Dodge Caravan, in which he was believed to be carrying the boys along a 25-mile stretch of road between Morenci and Holiday City, Ohio.

The last time someone other than a family member saw the boys was at 5 p.m. on November 25, according to the chief.

Police say Tanner is 3 feet, 6 inches tall with strawberry blond hair and blue eyes, and weighs about 40 pounds. Alexander is 3 feet, 9 inches tall, has brown hair and eyes, weighs about 45 pounds and has scars on his hairline and chin. The oldest brother, Andrew, is 4 feet, 1 inch tall, has brown hair and eyes and weighs roughly 57 pounds.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.freep.com/article/20101202/NEWS05/12020559/1318/Morenci-left-praying-for-missing-boys-as-father-is-jailed
Morenci left praying for missing boys as father is jailed
December 2, 2010

Andrew Skelton always was a "Star Wars" fan. Middle brother Alexander Skelton always walked little brother Tanner Skelton to class at Morenci Elementary each school day.

Once there, Alexander helped Tanner get his coat and backpack off and gave him a hug before he went to his own class.

On Wednesday, the principal and Tanner's teacher described the brothers -- ages 9, 7 and 5 -- as caring, sweet boys. The three have been missing since late last week, and Morenci police have said they now anticipate the worst.

Friends in Tanner's developmental kindergarten class made drawings for him. The teacher filled in text below, pairing pictures of scribbly stick figures, big-eared circle people and kids holding hands with messages like: "I miss Tanner. I pray for him."

An Ohio judge ordered their father, John Skelton, 39, jailed Wednesday in lieu of $3-million bail on three counts of parental kidnapping pending a formal extradition hearing Dec. 14 in Toledo. Skelton's court-appointed attorney declined on his client's behalf to waive Skelton's extradition rights.

Later Wednesday morning, Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks announced that if the brothers aren't found by the end of the day Friday, volunteers should stop searching for the weekend so officials can re-evaluate their direction next week. Also Wednesday, an anonymous donor offered a $10,000 reward for the return or recovery of the boys.

Community members and school officials remain hopeful.

"I have to have hope," said Janet Rollins, Tanner's teacher. "I still pray every day that they find them and that they're OK."
Missing boys' dad to stay in Ohio as hearing looms

Days after his three young sons went missing, John Skelton found himself in an Ohio courtroom, facing extradition to Michigan to face charges of parental kidnapping.

But Skelton, 39, of Morenci didn't go home Wednesday with the Morenci police and Lenawee County sheriff's deputies waiting in the courtroom.

Attorney Merle Dech Jr., who was appointed to represent Skelton at the hearing, said his client would not waive his rights, so a formal extradition hearing will be held Dec. 14 in Lucas County Common Pleas Court in Toledo.


The Skelton boys -- Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5 -- went missing sometime between Thanksgiving afternoon and Friday morning. Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks has said police "do not anticipate a positive outcome here."

Skelton has said he gave the boys to a woman named Joann Taylor before he attempted to hang himself in his home, but police have said there was no established relationship between Skelton and a woman by that name.

Skelton looked downward as he was brought into court shackled and in a wheelchair, a fractured ankle apparently injured during an aborted suicide attempt. He was wearing a green bulletproof vest and a sort of green jail smock with an open back, showing off a Calvin and Hobbes tattoo on his back.

At the Dec. 14 hearing, Skelton also has the right to an identity hearing in which he may challenge whether Michigan authorities have the right suspect. Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge Gary Cook told Skelton that, based on the presence of Michigan police officers, it seemed certain they had the right man.

Skelton, whose sister said he lost his job as a long-haul trucker last month, said he had no money for a lawyer. Cook arranged for Dech's services in advance, anticipating Skelton wouldn't be able to afford a lawyer on his own.
Search could be re-evaluated

As court proceedings began, volunteers and fire officials in Morenci continued to search.

Weeks said that if the brothers aren't found by the end of the day Friday, he is asking that volunteers stop searching so law enforcement officials can re-evaluate their direction for the next week.

He said public safety officials will continue to follow up on tips throughout the weekend, though. Weeks is requesting that anyone with private property in southwest Lenawee County and northeast Williams and northwest Fulton counties in Ohio scour their own land.

Weeks didn't elaborate but has said that information provided to law enforcement by Skelton leads police to believe the outcome of the case may be bleak.

Asked whether he thinks the children are dead and that John Skelton killed them, Weeks said: "I refuse to believe that at this point. It is my desire to maintain hope."

He said an account has been set up at the United Bank & Trust in Morenci for people to make donations to the Skelton family.
'I miss Tanner'

With the boys still missing, school officials have been fielding questions from inquisitive children, said Mary Fisher, principal of Morenci Elementary, where the brothers attended.

"It's snowing out, aren't they cold?" Fisher said children have asked. "How are they staying warm? Where are they?"

She said officials have been honest with the students, letting them know that their classmates are missing, allowing them to talk about their feelings and providing social workers.

Fisher said she didn't know John Skelton, but said Tanya Skelton was always in the building. "Mom was a good mom," she said.

And her kids are good kids, school personnel said.

Janet Rollins, Tanner's teacher, said in her more than 30 years of teaching, he is the sweetest kid she has had. On Wednesday, she said he loved to draw and was considerate. Rollins recalled last month when the kids were outside, and Tanner told her, "I can run really fast, but you gotta say 'Flash,' " then sprinted ahead.

Rollins said she holds out hope that the boys are safe. She said that in class earlier this week, a student suddenly said: "I miss Tanner."

"I know," she said she countered. "I miss him, too."
Lighting the way home

With Christmas nearing, people continued putting up holiday lights in Morenci's Wakefield Park -- something the Skelton family had begun helping with the Sunday before the boys went missing.

Morenci United Methodist Church Pastor Donna Galloway said Andrew told her that Sunday: "With the park all lit up and with the church all lit up, we are going to light up the town."

Once the lights are up, Trulla McClain, who said she took on the responsibility of decking out the park, wants to dedicate the decorations to the missing brothers. "We're gonna light the park up," she said, "so the boys know how to come home."

The outpouring of support included a stuffed Tigger left outside John Skelton's Congress Street home with "4 ever in our hearts" written across its chest, and a volunteer searcher's safety vest that had the missing boys' names listed on the back with the words "We don't quit!!"
*********************
   Praying for the three Skelton brothers 

[Lenie]

Sorry OT but Leroy could you tell me what kind of dog that is in your picture? Thanks

He is a white german shepherd!

Thanks, we have a wolf hybrid puppy that looks just like him

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.toledoonthemove.com/news/story.aspx?id=548913
Morenci keeps hope that young brothers will be found alive
by Amulya Raghuveer
Posted: 16 mins ago
MORENCI, MICH. -- Volunteers are not giving up hope as the search for three missing Morenci brothers enters its sixth day Thursday.

9-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner have been missing since Thanksgiving Day when they were last seen playing in the backyard of their father's Morenci home.  Their father, John Skelton, is being held in the Lucas County Jail on $3 million bond, charged with three counts of parental kidnapping.

A $10,000 reward has been offered by an anonymous donor to anyone who can return the three missing boys to their mother.

Skelton has refused to give investigators information regarding his sons' whereabouts.  He was in a Lucas County courtroom on Wednesday, fighting extradition back to Michigan.  He was arrested and charged on Tuesday immediately following his release from a Toledo hospital.  He was hospitalized late last week after a failed suicide attempt.

In Morenci, police chief Larry Weeks says the search for the young Skelton brothers will continue, but repeated that the outcome doesn't look good. "My desire is to retain hope," Weeks said in a morning press conference. "The information we have does not indicate that this will have a positive outcome."

Weeks says the volunteer search effort will be suspended indefinitely on Friday evening.  Any subsequent leads or tips that come in will be followed up by public safety officials.

[trimmonthelake]

http://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2010/dec/02/still-searching-missing-children/
Still Searching For Missing Children
Posted Thursday December 2, 2010 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
MORENCI (WKZO) -- Searchers will be out today and again tomorrow literally beating the bushes in southern Michigan and Northern Ohio, looking for three missing boys from Morenci, Michigan.

They may have another motivation today. An anonymous donor has put up a 10-thousand dollar reward for whoever finds the boys. Police Chief Larry Weeks says if they don’t turn up by tomorrow evening, he will ask the searchers to take a time out, so he can figure out where they have been and where they have yet to search.

He is also asking private property owners to take a look around their own yards, where the searchers haven’t been able to go. Chief Weeks won’t confirm that the boy’s father, 39-year-old John Skelton has claimed he killed the boys to FBI agents because he has said so much that has turned out to be false.

The sister of John Skelton says she doesn't think authorities are giving her brother a fair shake. Forty year-old Linda Ford of Jacksonville, Florida tells the Detroit Free Press she has spoken twice with John Skelton since his failed suicide attempt Friday. Ford said authorities are trying to convince Skelton that a woman he claimed to have given the children to his an alter ego. Ford said Skelton was depressed after being fired. She plans to stand by him.

[klaasend]

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/channel?section=news/local&id=7819688



Candlelight vigil held for Morenci boys
Thursday, December 02, 2010


Archbold, OH -- Northwest State Community College student based group, Students for Community Outreach and Awareness (SCOA), will be holding a candlelight vigil for Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton of Morenci, MI who have been missing since November 26th. Community members are invited to share in this time of reflection with the students and staff of NSCC for the missing boys and their family. Hot chocolate will be provided for all participants following the vigil.

The vigil will be at the flag pole at the main north entrance of the community college in Archbold, OH

[no rose colored glasses]

The sister of John Skelton says she doesn't think authorities are giving her brother a fair shake. Forty year-old Linda Ford of Jacksonville, Florida tells the Detroit Free Press she has spoken twice with John Skelton since his failed suicide attempt Friday. Ford said authorities are trying to convince Skelton that a woman he claimed to have given the children to his an alter ego. Ford said Skelton was depressed after being fired. She plans to stand by him.      I'm going to lose it now, an alter ego? An alter ego my butt. IMO he lost his job, he lost his wife, he lost his kids, don't have money to pay for any of his kids care and took this step of ridding himself of the boys. Didn't want his wife to have them either. WTH does Linda Ford think, this is the movie Psycho? Norman Bates alter ego was his mother, and John Skelton's alter ego is a woman who took his kids? What a load of BS

[Tamikosmom]

The sister of John Skelton says she doesn't think authorities are giving her brother a fair shake. Forty year-old Linda Ford of Jacksonville, Florida tells the Detroit Free Press she has spoken twice with John Skelton since his failed suicide attempt Friday. Ford said authorities are trying to convince Skelton that a woman he claimed to have given the children to his an alter ego. Ford said Skelton was depressed after being fired. She plans to stand by him.      I'm going to lose it now, an alter ego? An alter ego my butt. IMO he lost his job, he lost his wife, he lost his kids, don't have money to pay for any of his kids care and took this step of ridding himself of the boys. Didn't want his wife to have them either. WTH does Linda Ford think, this is the movie Psycho? Norman Bates alter ego was his mother, and John Skelton's alter ego is a woman who took his kids? What a load of BS

Where is the concern for her three precious nephews?  Abetting her brother in his choices ... in wrongdoing ... is not an expression of love for him or those little boys.

Janet

   

[no rose colored glasses]

The sister of John Skelton says she doesn't think authorities are giving her brother a fair shake. Forty year-old Linda Ford of Jacksonville, Florida tells the Detroit Free Press she has spoken twice with John Skelton since his failed suicide attempt Friday. Ford said authorities are trying to convince Skelton that a woman he claimed to have given the children to his an alter ego. Ford said Skelton was depressed after being fired. She plans to stand by him.      I'm going to lose it now, an alter ego? An alter ego my butt. IMO he lost his job, he lost his wife, he lost his kids, don't have money to pay for any of his kids care and took this step of ridding himself of the boys. Didn't want his wife to have them either. WTH does Linda Ford think, this is the movie Psycho? Norman Bates alter ego was his mother, and John Skelton's alter ego is a woman who took his kids? What a load of BS

Where is the concern for her three precious nephews?  Abetting her brother in his choices ... in wrongdoing ... is not an expression of love for him or those little boys.

Janet

   

I know and I'm sickened by this. Why doesn't she haul her butt to go speak too him and maybe do some good, maybe he will tell her where the boys are.

[justwondering]

justwondering
http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=9032.msg1270588#msg1270588

TY i didnt know those type of crimes had a name/The Family Annihilator
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/266087/the_family_annihilator_fathers_who.html?cat=72
The Family Annihilator - Fathers Who Kill
4 pgs
in hindsight JS fits the profile
snips
pg 1
Fathers who kill their children, and frequently their wives as well,  are known as "Family Annihilators" to criminal psychologists or psychiatrists, and to law
enforcement. They are not mentally ill, but coldly calculating, and often spend months planning their crimes. Because they often kill themselves too
The major factors leading men to kill their families include impending divorce, male sexual jealousy, an obsession with control, and possessiveness
there are definite differences between men and women who kill or harm their children. He says that women tend to be mentally ill, frequently suffering from post-partum depression. Men, on the other hand, feel rage, jealousy, hatred, and revenge when they kill their families.

snips pg 2
American television leads most of us to seek a profile for killer "types." Dr. Levin has provided a profile of the family annihilator as a middle-aged man, who appears to others (outside the family) to
be a  good provider, a loving father, and a faithful and loving husband. But he tends to be isolated, with no close friends or support system of his own, aside from his family. He has suffered with feelings of inadequacy and some form of long frustration. Ultimately, he suffers some catastrophic loss which leads to his crime. This trigger may be the loss of his job, or loss of money through a bad investment, but sometimes it is the impending loss of his wife. He doesn't hate his children, although he may hate his wife and blame her for his own problems. He has previously been a controlling man, within the family, but now feels powerless. Dr. Levin's belief is that the family annihilator wants revenge against his wife.

snip pg 3
Men who kill their families, these annihilators, usually have no criminal record. They are the perfect citizen, with jobs as doctors, lawyers, businessmen, military personnel, or even law enforcement officers. They are not drug or alcohol abusers, nor are they usually under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they kill. Their sudden attack on their family may appear to come out of the blue. Levin states, though, that if they had been seen by psychologists prior to committing their murders, those psychologists would have noticed warning signs of rage, and of blaming others for their problems. They would also notice that these men think of their families as their possessions. Some experts believe, however, that there may be prior patterns of domestic abuse in these families, even though it is not always reported.

snip from pg 4
Can crimes like this be prevented? Probably not. Dr. Yellowlees said that it can take a long time, even years, for a woman to realize that her husband views her as a possession, and that "initially, a woman can feel flattered" if her partner displays jealousy. By the time she realizes the degree of his possessiveness, it may be too late. Whether this obsessive possiveness leads to rage or frustration and feelings of failure, the family annihilator believes his best course of action is to destroy his family, and he does so with cunning and careful planning.

You're so welcome.  I am fascinated by this kind of stuff, and how after the fact they can find so many shared personality traits in similar crimes.  Maybe someday it will lead to being able to prevent or at least be on guard for future crimes. 

[klaasend]

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101202/NEWS16/101209951


A member of the Angola, Ind. fire department searches a body of water at Lazy River Campground in Pioneer, Ohio.
( THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY )
Zoom | Photo Reprints
BLADE STAFF


Article published December 2, 2010

Four dive teams search for Morenci boys in Williams County; hundreds of volunteers head out on foot
Photo


PIONEER, Ohio — Divers were using sonar equipment Thursday afternoon at multiple bodies of water across Williams County to search for three missing brothers.

Scuba teams from Toledo, Angola, Ind., as well as from Lenawee and Williams counties, hoped to search in at least seven major bodies of water throughout the day, including possible searches at Nettle Lake and Mud Lake in the northwestern corner of the county.

Dennis Wisniewski, the head of the scuba team from Williams County, described the efforts as a "shot in the dark," saying investigators don't have direct information the Skelton brothers would be found in the area.

But he also said investigators believe their father John Skelton's cell phone was used in the area last week. In addition, several witnesses have come forward saying they saw Mr. Skelton's van exit from the nearby Ohio Turnpike.

In addition to the divers, 200 volunteers were searching on foot Thursday in the woods around Elmira, Ohio, which is just north of the turnpike in Fulton County.

Officials vowed at a morning news conference to continue the search for three young brothers who have been missing for nearly a week.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said the Thursday morning news conference would be the last he would conduct but that did not mean he was giving up on the thought of finding the three Skelton boys: Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner.

"We do have concerted efforts in Williams County today with a number of resources we have available," the chief said. He said Williams County has been searched throughout the week because John Skelton, the father of the three boys, had been known to frequent locations there. Mr. Skelton is in jail in Lucas County on $3 million bond, charged with three counts of felony parental kidnapping.

The chief said the small community has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from across the country and while the volunteer search efforts will end Friday afternoon, there are a number of "public safety assets" at his disposal that "we can implement at a moment's notice."

Chief Weeks said law enforcement officials have interviewed relatives of John Skelton both in Michigan and Florida and they have appealed to him to tell them where the boys are but he still has not given a location of where his three sons may be.

"We're confident in the direction we're going," the chief said.

The chief then told the assembled reporters that he had met each of the three boys and would not rest until he knew what had happened to them.

He said he had been at the Skelton home when Andrew saw him, told him to wait a moment, and came back out wearing a toy police vest and cap.

"He told me, ‘I'm going to be a police officer like you some day." the chief recounted.

Morenci Mayor Keith Pennington said the community's Christmas parade that was to be held Saturday has been cancelled but another holiday event scheduled for Sunday evening will go on.

The mayor said no one in the small town will "be satisfied with the outcome until the boys come home," and then sent a plea to their father.

"John, if you know where they're are, please tell us."

[klaasend]

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=13597848



DEVELOPING NEWS
Crews search river south of Pioneer for missing boys
Updated: Dec 02, 2010 10:32 AM PST


PIONEERS, OH (WTOL) – Teams of rescue divers from three states are searching the St. Joseph River just south of Pioneer Thursday for three missing boys from Morenci.

The Toledo Fire Department's rescue divers, along with teams from Michigan and Indiana, are searching the river which runs along U.S. 20, just west of state route 15.

Crews will also search another nearby river and a gravel pit.

[bananas]

I wonder how long it will take him to tell where they are?  OMG... what is up with all these parents doing away with their children?  It is a scary world when kids aren't safe with their parents.

 

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-12-02-missing-boys-michigan_N.htm
Family of 3 missing boys OK with suspending search
Posted 31m ago |
By Gina Damron, Detroit Free Press
MORENCI, Mich. — Volunteers searching for three brothers missing after their father attempted suicide here almost a week ago have been asked to suspend their searches after Friday.
Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said law enforcement officials will continue following up on tips but want time to re-examine their efforts.

"Those men and woman that have actually done the searching have been tireless," said Kathye Herrera, a friend of the family. "We would not want a tragedy because volunteers are too tired."
JOHN SKELTON: 3 missing boys' dad held on $3M bond  http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-12-01-missing-michigan-boys_N.htm
CHIEF: Missing boys' father charged with kidnapping  http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-11-30-michigan-missing-boys_N.htm

The Skelton brothers — Andrew, 9; Alexander, 7; and Tanner, 5 — went missing late last week during a Thanksgiving visit to the house of their father John Skelton, 39. Skelton's wife, Tanya, 44, is seeking a divorce from her husband.

The unemployed long-haul trucker in Morenci, near the Ohio border about 75 miles southwest of Detroit, had told police he gave his sons to another woman so they wouldn't have to watch him hang himself.

But officials now say that was a lie. Skelton is facing three counts of parental kidnapping and is being held in a Toledo, Ohio, jail on $3 million bond. He is under a suicide watch.

Search teams, including a dive team from Toledo, are now in Williams County, Ohio, which borders both Michigan and Indiana, Weeks said. FBI agents also have contacted Skelton's family in the Jacksonville, Fla., area.

On Wednesday, an anonymous donor offered a $10,000 reward for the return or recovery of the boys.

Weeks said he continues to be hopeful.

He was at Skelton's house on one occasion and remembers Andrew coming up to him.

"He said, 'Hey chief, how ya doin'?' " Weeks remembered, saying Andrew then ran back into the house and came back with toy police garb on. "He said to me, 'I'm going to be a police officer like you one day.'
That's been with me ever since."

[justwondering]

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101202/NEWS16/101209951


A member of the Angola, Ind. fire department searches a body of water at Lazy River Campground in Pioneer, Ohio.
( THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY )
Zoom | Photo Reprints
BLADE STAFF


Article published December 2, 2010

Four dive teams search for Morenci boys in Williams County; hundreds of volunteers head out on foot
Photo


PIONEER, Ohio — Divers were using sonar equipment Thursday afternoon at multiple bodies of water across Williams County to search for three missing brothers.

Scuba teams from Toledo, Angola, Ind., as well as from Lenawee and Williams counties, hoped to search in at least seven major bodies of water throughout the day, including possible searches at Nettle Lake and Mud Lake in the northwestern corner of the county.

Dennis Wisniewski, the head of the scuba team from Williams County, described the efforts as a "shot in the dark," saying investigators don't have direct information the Skelton brothers would be found in the area.

But he also said investigators believe their father John Skelton's cell phone was used in the area last week. In addition, several witnesses have come forward saying they saw Mr. Skelton's van exit from the nearby Ohio Turnpike.

In addition to the divers, 200 volunteers were searching on foot Thursday in the woods around Elmira, Ohio, which is just north of the turnpike in Fulton County.

Officials vowed at a morning news conference to continue the search for three young brothers who have been missing for nearly a week.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said the Thursday morning news conference would be the last he would conduct but that did not mean he was giving up on the thought of finding the three Skelton boys: Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner.

"We do have concerted efforts in Williams County today with a number of resources we have available," the chief said. He said Williams County has been searched throughout the week because John Skelton, the father of the three boys, had been known to frequent locations there. Mr. Skelton is in jail in Lucas County on $3 million bond, charged with three counts of felony parental kidnapping.

The chief said the small community has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from across the country and while the volunteer search efforts will end Friday afternoon, there are a number of "public safety assets" at his disposal that "we can implement at a moment's notice."

Chief Weeks said law enforcement officials have interviewed relatives of John Skelton both in Michigan and Florida and they have appealed to him to tell them where the boys are but he still has not given a location of where his three sons may be.

"We're confident in the direction we're going," the chief said.

The chief then told the assembled reporters that he had met each of the three boys and would not rest until he knew what had happened to them.

He said he had been at the Skelton home when Andrew saw him, told him to wait a moment, and came back out wearing a toy police vest and cap.

"He told me, ‘I'm going to be a police officer like you some day." the chief recounted.

Morenci Mayor Keith Pennington said the community's Christmas parade that was to be held Saturday has been cancelled but another holiday event scheduled for Sunday evening will go on.

The mayor said no one in the small town will "be satisfied with the outcome until the boys come home," and then sent a plea to their father.

"John, if you know where they're are, please tell us."

BBM
If that doesn't make you tear up, nothing will.  My heart breaks for these boys.