Mother of the Skelton brothers petitions to have them legally declared dead

The mother of three brothers who went missing the day after Thanksgiving in 2010 is asking the state to legally declare them dead.

Tanya Zuvers filed in Lenawee County Probate Court back in December 2023, requesting her sons Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton to officially be declared dead.

Tanya Zuvers

Andrew, Alexander and Tanner were 9, 7 and 5, respectively, when they were last known to be alive. The Skelton Brothers spent Thanksgiving that year with their father, John Skelton, at his home in Morenci. When Tanya Zuvers, the boys' mother, didn't hear from Skelton about a pick up time the next day, she went to his home. No one was there.

Zuyers tracked Skelton down to a nearby hospital where he was being treated for a broken 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 began a search for the brothers. Skelton quickly became a suspect.

Skelton told police he gave the boys to an organization to protect them from Zuvers, accusing her of abuse, but investigators have never been able to verify that the group exists. Police say Skelton provided other, conflicting accounts of who he gave the boys to.

The now-52-year-old is serving a 10-year sentence for unlawful imprisonment charges connected to his sons' disappearance.

Michigan Department of Corrections

Since then the city of Morenci has hosted an annual vigil for the boys.

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After 13 years of searching for clues, including a possible connection to bodies found in Montana , Zuyers says it is time for closure.

In a statement regarding her decision to have the boys legally declared dead she says, "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."

Zuyers said the past year has solidified the belief her boys are gone, even after holding out hope for so long . October marked Tanner's 18th birthday. He would have graduated from high school this past spring.

"At the end of the day, one person is responsible for the disappearance of my sons," wrote Zuyers. "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."

John Skelton is scheduled to complete his time in prison in November 2025.

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