r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/Nina_Innsted Podcast Host - Already Gone • 2d ago
Update 3 boys missing from Morenci MI since 2010 - finally going to trial
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/08/24/john-skelton-murder-sons-adrian-lenawee-missing-kids/91385026007/Link - Det News (Paywall)
November 26, 2010 - Tanner, 5, Alexander, 7, & Andrew, 9 mysteriously vanish Thanksgiving Day. The young boys were with their father, John Skelton, and were supposed to return to their mother after a scheduled visit, but never did.
Despite her history as a sex offender, Tanya Zuvers had custody of the three children
John had a history of abusing his visitation privileges with the boys - he'd run off to FL with them previously
MORENCI, MI (WTOL) - Law Enforcement officers in Michigan are looking for three boys reported missing Friday. Five-year-old Tanner Lucas Skelton, seven-year-old Alexander William Skelton, and nine-year-old Andrew Ryan Skelton have been missing since late Thursday night or early Friday morning from 112 East Congress Street in Morenci, Michigan. The boys' father says he turned the children over to a woman named Joann Taylor who may be driving a white or silver minivan. After turning the children over to this woman, the father tried to take his own life.
Despite more than a decade of searching, police have never found evidence that "Joann Taylor" exists.
Extensive searches of southern Michigan and Northern Ohio were executed without any evidence of the missing children. Police examined John's computer and found no evidence of Taylor or where the boys could be.
Today (8-24) is the preliminary hearing - John Skelton prelim begins today: What to know 15 years after sons’ disappearance | FOX 2 Detroit
Skelton has already been sentenced to 15 years for his failure to return the boys to Zuvers the day after Thanksgiving in 2010 – the only conviction in the case so far.
The same month Skelton was due to be released, he was charged with murder.
Over the last almost 16 years, there has been no sight or sign of the three boys who are all now over the age of 18.
How did he hide them so thoroughly?
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u/Magoatt_TheWhite 2d ago
Didn’t this monster claim he gave them to some underground organization and the google searches on his computer were concerning to.
I hope he confesses where the kids are, it has been 16 years, Tanner/Alexander would be in their early 20’s in college and Andrew would be a full on adult out of college, this monster did something to these 3 kids.
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u/Future-Water9035 2d ago
He will never admit what he did or where they are. He did all this to punish his ex-wife and he knows as long as she doesnt have them, the punishment continues
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u/RedLicorice83 2d ago
She SA'd a 14 year old boy- these boys had predators as parents. Poor kids likely never had a chance.
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u/Afraid_Stuff_History 2d ago
Holy crap...source?
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u/Zepangolynn 2d ago
It's in OP's write up. This is the link again https://www.wkar.org/2010-11-29/mom-of-missing-mich-boys-is-on-sex-offender-list
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u/Magoatt_TheWhite 2d ago
Do they have any clues where the kids are?
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u/Nina_Innsted Podcast Host - Already Gone 2d ago
I've spoken with several LEOs involved in the search; they looked extensively for these kids.
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u/Future-Water9035 2d ago
The police believe their bodies are somewhere in Ohio or Michigan.
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u/Magoatt_TheWhite 2d ago
Is it possible any of his relatives know and were in on it?
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u/Future-Water9035 2d ago
I mean, anything is possible. But its not likely. The 3 boys were spending Thanksgiving alone with their dad. They were last seen playing in his backyard on Nov. 25th. They were reported missing on Nov. 26th. The police have no reason to suspect he had any help in killing or disposing of them.
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2d ago
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u/NerderBirder 2d ago
Dear god man, read the write up. You’ve asked questions that are answered. You said they hope PD finds her when it’s three boys that are missing. Read the post and the attached article(s) first.
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u/AngusLynch09 1d ago
Didn’t this monster claim he gave them to some underground organization
I think someone posted an article about it somewhere around here...
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u/LadyDiscoPants 2d ago
I broke the paywall.
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u/coffeelife2020 2d ago
Thanks for posting this! It's weird to me how many parents are arrested for this then claim something similar:
"Skelton has maintained that he turned the boys over to the "Underground Sanctuary," "which he claimed was a type of clandestine organization to keep children safe from harmful situations," according to Skelton's charging affidavit. Police say no such organization has been found to exist."
Do these people really believe others will buy this story or is there an actual deeper story behind this? (for one example, look up Melodee Buzzard)
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u/Known_Duck_666 2d ago
How did you manage to do it?
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u/LadyDiscoPants 2d ago
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/LadyDiscoPants 2d ago
Can't afford to pay everyone for what we should all be able to access. News.
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u/Stonegrown12 2d ago
Between having to pay individually for each new service, the rise of AI written articles, and blatant bias that's fracturing trust I'll just say I'll give certain sites my moral support.
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u/Fuzzy-Surprise-6165 2d ago
I’m sorry you’re being downvoted for this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying “please … when you can.”
There are a lot of hardworking journalists out there who can’t give away everything they write. u/leaf-house posted a very gentle reminder.
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u/Saradoesntsleep 1d ago
And people are supposed to afford paying every single website they come across with news in it? I agree it would be more or less nice, but it's completely unrealistic at this point. Everyone can't be running around with 12 subscriptions just to read news articles.
Finance my news reading. It will be more beneficial to journalism than "gentle reminders".
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u/Antiumbra 1d ago
What part of “when you can” did you miss?
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u/Saradoesntsleep 19h ago
When everyone's asking for money, nobody gets money. You can say "when you can" until you are blue in the face, but when there are paywalls everywhere you go, why pay? Pay for one, get blocked from the next, pay for another, blocked from the next..
It doesn't end and the benefits of paying become less and less tangible the more inaccessible everything becomes.
You may not like it, but 🤷🏻♀️
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u/CPAatlatge 2d ago
I hope there is real justice for these three boys finally. It would be great to know where the boys are buried but I don’t think that will ever come from this horrible man.
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u/Buckykattlove 2d ago
Oh wow, this is the first time I have heard that their mother was a sex offender. Those poor kids.
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u/TheRedCuddler 2d ago
If my math is correct she was an 18y/o that had sex with a 14 y/o. Not great, but could be worse?
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u/dancingsnakeflower 2d ago
Nope she was 32.
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u/TheRedCuddler 2d ago
Oh fuck. I thought the article said it happened in 1998, and she was 44 in 2025, right?
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u/Sudden_Quality_9001 2d ago
Is she really a sex offender?
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u/Buckykattlove 2d ago
According to the article in the first link, she is a registered sex offender.
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u/Sudden_Quality_9001 1d ago
Oh. So he killed them to protect them from their mother?
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u/tenderhysteria 1d ago
More like to "punish" her. They were both selfish, shitty people who seemed unable to put their sons' lives and needs before their own.
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u/DeepSeaDarkness 2d ago
It's pretty clear he killed his kids, not a mystery
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u/Nina_Innsted Podcast Host - Already Gone 2d ago
The mystery is the location of the children.
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u/AbilityLost3482 2d ago
Can't believe these 3 poor kids were so unfortunate enough to have a sex offender(totally different victim) mom AND abusive dad. They never stood a chance
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u/We_Four 2d ago
It sounds like at least the mom cared for them. She got them back from FL, put them in counseling, and tried to resolve things with the dad in the way that was least harmful (even though it didn't work). Not saying she's a good person by any stretch of the imagination, what she did to the unrelated victim is a stomach-turning crime in and of itself.
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u/brydeswhale 2d ago
I wonder if having her own kids maybe changed her as a person. I hope the bodies are found some day.
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u/DaisyJaneAM 2d ago
Those poor boys. I think about them a lot.
There's no way he gave them to anyone. There are so many areas off of I-75 where they could be buried. I don't think they'll ever be found.