A Michigan father whose three young sons vanished without a trace nearly 15 years ago has been charged with their murders – just weeks before he was set to walk free from prison.
John Skelton, 53, was charged in Lenawee County with three counts of open murder and three counts of tampering with evidence, court filings show. The charges were filed on November 12, according to WTVG.
Skelton has been behind bars since 2011 after pleading no contest to unlawful imprisonment for abducting his sons – Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5 – from Morenci, Michigan, over Thanksgiving weekend in 2010. He was serving a 10-to 15-year sentence and was scheduled to be released on November 29.
The boys were last seen at their father’s home in Morenci after spending the holiday with him. Their mother, Tanya Zuvers, had sole custody and was due to pick them up the next day. But when she arrived, neither her sons nor Skelton were there.
Zuvers has long maintained that she believes her ex-husband is responsible for their disappearance and deaths.
Earlier this year, a judge granted Zuvers’ request to have her sons declared legally dead, a decision she said she sought to find closure. However, the judge at the time said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove when or how they were killed.
The case has long haunted the small community of Morenci. Despite years of searches, their remains have never been found.
Source: independent.co.uk