IONIA, Mich. (Court TV) — The father of three brothers who went missing the day after Thanksgiving in 2010 is set to be released from prison later this month.
In 2011, John Skelton was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison for unlawful imprisonment charges connected to the Skelton brothers’ disappearance. Department of Corrections records show John will be released on Nov. 29, which also marks 15 years and four days since his sons were last seen.
(T to B): Andrew, Tanner and Alexander Skelton NamUs). John Skelton (R)(Michigan DOC)
Earlier this year, a Michigan probate judge granted Tanya Zuvers’ request to declare her missing sons legally dead. The boys, Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, were last seen alive on Nov. 25, 2010, when they were playing in the yard of their father’s Lenawee County home.
The next day, Zuvers tracked John down to a nearby hospital after she didn’t hear from him about a pickup time, reported Scripps News West Michigan. John was being treated for a broken ankle, and reportedly told hospital staff the injury happened while he was trying to take his own life.
MORE | John Skelton charged with murder of 3 sons, missing since 2010
During the investigation, John told police he gave the boys to an organization to protect them from Zuvers, accusing her of abuse. Still, investigators have never been able to verify that the group exists. Police say John provided other, conflicting accounts of who he gave the boys to.
At the hearing earlier this year, Zuvers and law enforcement officers testified that there was “no doubt” in their minds that John had killed his sons. But Judge Catherine Sala said she could not reach the legal conclusion that John murdered his sons based on the speculative and circumstantial nature of the evidence and the investigators’ opinion, noting it was based mainly on hearsay.
John is currently housed at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan.
