Re: ANDREW (9), ALEXANDER (7) & TANNER SKELTON (5) - Morenci, Michigan (USA) - 26/11/10

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:23 am

Toledo Blade

29 November 2010

Volunteers search new NW Ohio areas for missing Morenci brothers‎

Three bus loads of volunteers and firefighters will be dropped Monday afternoon at various points in Ohio to start a walking search for three brothers missing from Morenci, Mich.

The school buses — each with 50 civilians and 20 firefighters — were being loaded at a community center in Pioneer about 2 p.m. Monday, said Cpl. Jeff Paterson, an officer with the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office.

Once they are taken to drop off points, they will walk 20 to 30 feet off main roads until they meet back in West Unity, he said. They are searching for anything that has to do with the missing boys: Andrew Ryan Skelton, 9, Alexander William Skelton, 7, and Tanner Lucas Skelton, 5. They have been missing since late last week when their father John Skelton, 39, told police that he had given them to a woman named Joann Taylor to take them to their mother. That story has since been discounted.

http://toledoblade.com/article/20101129/NEWS16/11280359/0/ART01

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:25 am

People Magazine

29 November 2010

Missing Boys' Father May Have 'Dumped Them on the Road'‎

Fire Chief Scott Damon of Cambridge Township, Mich., told searchers that John Skelton, the boys' father, "may have just dumped them on the road," The Detroit News reports.

Morenci, Mich., Police Chief Larry Weeks also said Monday police have poked holes in the story put forward by Skelton, who is being treated in an Ohio hospital for "mental health issues" after a suicide attempt.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20445806,00.html

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:27 pm

13 Abc

29 November 2010

Parents of three missing Morenci boys in custody fight‎

We are learning more about the Skelton family.

The mother of the three boys recently filed for divorce from John Skelton and was fighting for permanent custody.

John Skelton said the mother of the children was an unfit parent. He cited the fact Tanya Skelton is a registered sex offender and is repeatedly in violation of sex offender laws as reasons why she shouldn't have custody of the three boys.

On September 13 of this year, Tanya Skelton filed for divorce, according to court documents.

That same day the father of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner took the children out of school. It's alleged he took the children to stay with an acquaintance in Jacksonville, Florida.
Tanya Skelton stated because the boys' father is a long-haul truck driver and is on the road for weeks at a time, she should be granted sole custody.

But on September 27, John Skelton filed for custody. citing the fact Tanya Skelton is a registered sex offender.

In 1999, she was convicted of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct for having sex with a 14-year-old boy. The teen would do handyman work on rental properties Tanya and her ex-husband owned.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=7815138

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:30 pm

My Fox Detroit

29 November 2010

Still No Sign of Three Missing Morenci Boys‎

There is still no sign of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton. The young boys have not been seen since Thanksgiving. Hundreds of volunteers have been searching from sun up to sun down and it has taken an emotional toll, but they are not giving up. They plan to head back out on Tuesday.

Everyone should have so much respect for the search team and the volunteers because this mission is extremely emotional. FOX 2 talked with the fire chief Monday. He said when they are out looking for the boys, they are really hopeful. However, there is also that fear in the back of their minds that what if they are the ones to find them.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/no-sign-of-three-missing-morenci-boys-20101129-wpms

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:33 pm

The Detroit News

29 November 2010

Father of missing boys took them before, court records show‎

The father of three missing boys bitterly fought for custody of them and took them before without permission, according to court records.

The records show that John R. Skelton, 39, took his sons and announced his intention to move to Jacksonville, Fla., on Sept. 13 — the same day his wife filed for divorce, according to documents in Lenawee County Circuit Court.

The proceedings also show Skelton sought a court order for sole custody of the boys, Tanner, 5, Alexander, 7, and Andrew 9, based on the claim that their mother, Tanya Skelton, 34, was on the state's sex offender list. She served a year in prison for an illegal sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy in 1998.

Physical custody was granted to the mother by Lenawee County Circuit Judge Margaret Noe on Sept. 28, following her efforts in conjunction with Florida authorities to force the father to return the children.

On Oct. 11, the judge allowed the father to resume parenting time every other weekend and every Wednesday after school. A clause added to the agreement required Skelton to not drink alcohol while with his children.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20101129/METRO/11290394/Father-of-missing-boys-took-them-before--court-records-show

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:35 pm

Florida Times-Union

29 November 2010

Jacksonville grandmom of three missing Michigan boys believes they’re OK
Boys were last seen at their father’s Michigan home; he’s in hospital for mental health issue

The Jacksonville grandmother of three Michigan brothers missing since Thursday told the Times-Union Monday she believes the boys are alive and that her son had nothing to do with their disappearance.

Roxann Skelton, 60, of the Southside said she believes some unknown person has the boys and she is hopeful they will be returned.

“My message to them is to bring the boys home or take them to a place of safety with a note that says, 'I'm a missing child, dial 911,’” Skelton said. “My heart tells me they’re OK.”

Skelton said she last saw Tanner, 5, in Jacksonville in August and brothers, Alexander, 7, and Andrew, 9, a month later. She said her son, John, was with the boys and she sensed no trouble either time.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-11-29/story/jacksonville-grandmom-3-missing-michigan-boys-believes-they%E2%80%99re-ok

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:36 pm

WILX-TV

29 November 2010

Police: Father's Story Is Unraveling‎

http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/Police_Fathers_Story_Is_Unraveling_111007639.html?ref=639

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:39 pm

The Detroit News

29 November 2010

Search for missing boys ends for day; records detail family fights‎

With nightfall, police discontinued the two-state search for three missing Lenawee County brothers as new details surfaced about the contentious family relationship that evolved in the weeks preceding their disappearance.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said the search would resume in the morning and continue until authorities find the Skelton boys, ages 9, 7 and 5.

"Until we've exhausted everything, we're moving on," he told about a hundred emergency personnel and volunteers huddled in the city fire department.

The search will continue Tuesday and focus on an area from Morenci to Pioneer, Ohio, and down to Holiday City and West Unity. Authorities have developed evidence, including cell phone activity that puts John Skelton, 39, in those areas.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20101129/METRO/11290353/1361/Search-for-missing-boys-ends-for-day--records-detail-family-fights

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:41 pm

Toledo Blade

29 November 2010

Investigators conduct 2-state search for missing Morenci boys‎

http://toledoblade.com/article/20101129/NEWS16/11280359/0/sports12

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:43 pm

The Australian

30 November 2010

Hope persists in American town for three young brothers, missing since Thursday

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/hope-persists-in-american-town-for-three-young-brothers-missing-since-thursday/story-e6frg6so-1225963371031

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:46 pm

Examiner

30 November 2010

Mother of 3 missing boys on Michigan's sex-offender registry‎

According to state reocrds, the mother of the three missing Michigan boys is on Michigan's sex-offender registry for a misdemeanor committed in 1998.

According to MyFoxDetroit.com, Tanya Skelton's offense was fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. There are no other details on the website.

According to family spokeswoman, Kathye Herrera, the offense is not relevant to the status of the missing children.

Authorities are searching for Tanner, Alexander and Andrew Skelton, brothers who were last seen Thursday
Tanya Skelton, 44, reported them missing Friday in Morenci on the Michigan-Ohio border.

Their father, John Skelton, told police he gave the boys to an acquaintance he claims he met when her car broke down. He said he asked her to take the boys to his estranged wife so they would not be home while he attempted to commit suicide.

Police do not believe his story.

http://www.examiner.com/missing-persons-in-national/mother-of-3-missing-boys-on-michigan-s-sex-offender-registry

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:49 pm

Toledo Blade

30 November 2020

Search targeting new areas in case of missing Mich. boys‎
Investigators say dad's story is discounted

On the same day that investigators expanded a search into a second state in hopes of finding three missing Morenci brothers, they discounted the story their father provided about the disappearance.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said Monday that authorities have found no relationship between John Skelton, 39, and a Joann Taylor -- a person he said he gave his boys to last week for return to their mother.

http://toledoblade.com/article/20101130/NEWS16/11290408

**Twiglet** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:50 pm

The Associated Press

30 November 2010

Records show custody fight over missing Mich. boys‎

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ipnKUB5OxvSErOcM51A8vQXtjJAw?docId=cc7973de53d247e19295f26aaf473cc2

**Twiglet** Wed Dec 01, 2010 3:06 am

The Hillsdale Daily News

30 November 2010

Searchers scour Michigan, Ohio for missing Morenci boys‎

After scouring the area for signs of three missing Morenci boys throughout the day Monday, search crews suspended their efforts for the night, with plans to begin again this morning.

http://www.hillsdale.net/features/x1743708080/Searchers-scour-Michigan-Ohio-for-missing-Morenci-boys

**Twiglet** Wed Dec 01, 2010 3:08 am

FOX 4 News

30 November 2010

Still No Sign of Three Missing Morenci Boys‎

There is still no sign of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton. The young boys have not been seen since Thanksgiving. Hundreds of volunteers have been searching from sun up to sun down and it has taken an emotional toll, but they are not giving up. They plan to head back out on Tuesday.

Everyone should have so much respect for the search team and the volunteers because this mission is extremely emotional. FOX 2 talked with the fire chief Monday. He said when they are out looking for the boys, they are really hopeful. However, there is also that fear in the back of their minds that what if they are the ones to find them.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpps/news/local/no-sign-of-three-missing-morenci-boys-20101129-wpms_10848324

**Twiglet** Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:41 am

Associated Content

30 November 2010

Father of 3 Missing Michigan Boys Wrote He Hoped God and His Wife Forgive Him

Three Michigan boys remain missing Monday as searchers fan out throughout the southern Michigan town of Morenci and along highways in Ohio to find them. According to the Detroit Free Press, authorities have searched campgrounds, issued warrants for the home of John Skelton, and canvassed the nearby community in hopes of finding the missing children. As the hours have gone by without word of discovery or contact from the boys themselves, many are becoming worried that something untoward might have happened to them.

A foreboding entry made by John Skelton on his Facebook page Wednesday might prove to be an indication of bad news to come. According to the Free Press, he wrote that he hoped God and his wife would forgive him.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6067458/father_of_3_missing_michigan_boys_wrote.html?cat=72

**Twiglet** Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:42 am

Sandusky Register

30 November 2010

Police say they no longer expect a positive outcome in search for missing boys

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/pioneer/2010/nov/30/police-say-they-no-longer-expect-positive-outcome-search-missing-boys

**Twiglet** Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:44 am

Examiner

30 November 2010

Missing boys feared dead - Search continues in Ohio‎

http://www.examiner.com/trumbull-county-conservative-in-youngstown/missing-boys-feared-dead-search-continues-ohio

**Twiglet** Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:52 am

Detroit Free Press

30 November 2010

Search for 3 missing boys likely to end in nightmare, Morenci police chief says

... Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said at a news conference this morning that based on information provided to law enforcement officials by their father, John Skelton, police "do not anticipate a positive outcome here."

He wouldn't comment on specifically what information is leading police to that conclusion, simply saying it was statements made by Skelton.

"Because it's an ongoing and fluid situation, that information is not going to be made available to the public," Weeks said.

He said a decision on criminal charges has not yet been made.

Asked how their mother, Tayna Skelton, is feeling, Weeks said: "Imagine your worst nightmare coming true. How would you respond?"

Morenci United Methodist Church Pastor Donna Galloway was saddened by the news and said she's been trying to support and comfort the boys' family. She said the Skelton boys -- Andrew Ryan Skelton, 9, Alexander William Skelton, 7, and Tanner Lucas Skelton, 5 -- and their parents attended the church and even attended service the Sunday before the brothers went missing.

http://www.freep.com/article/20101130/NEWS06/101130024/1319/NW-Ohio-search-resumes-for-3-missing-Michigan-boys

**Twiglet** Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:54 am

TIME

30 November 2010

Police Not Hopeful in Search for Mich. Boys‎

Authorities "do not anticipate a positive outcome" in the search for three Michigan brothers who have been missing since their father's attempted suicide, a police chief said Tuesday.

Searchers have been scouring woods, fields and roadsides in Michigan and Ohio to look for 9-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner Skelton, but information including statements from the father John Skelton led to that assessment, Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2033649,00.html

**Twiglet** Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:14 am

Palm Beach Post

30 November 2010

Missing Mich. boys' father charged with kidnapping‎

The father of three young brothers who have been missing since Thanksgiving was charged with their kidnapping on Tuesday, hours after police said it's unlikely the boys will be found alive.

John Skelton, 39, was arrested by FBI agents after his release from a medical facility in Lucas County, Ohio, where he had been being treated since attempting to hang himself on Friday.

Skelton was charged in Lenawee County, Mich., across the state border, with three counts of parental kidnapping, Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said during a brief news conference.

Skelton was being held at the Lucas County jail and would be extradited back to Michigan, Weeks said.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/nation/missing-mich-boys-father-charged-with-kidnapping-1083030.html

**Twiglet** Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:28 am

Daily Mail

30 November 2010

'Outlook is grim': Police charge father of three missing brothers with parental kidnapping

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334534/Police-charge-father-missing-Michigan-brothers-parental-kidnapping.html

**pam supportfromireland** Wed Dec 01, 2010 5:34 pm

This is so horrendous. They are beautiful kids. Lighting candles needed.

**pam supportfromireland** Wed Dec 01, 2010 5:38 pm

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=skelt

**Twiglet** Thu Dec 02, 2010 10:00 am

Detroit Free Press

1 December 2010

Missing boys: Sister says dad is not getting a fair shake‎

John Skelton's sister said Tuesday that she doesn't believe her brother is getting a fair shake from authorities.

Lucinda Ford, 40, of Jacksonville, Fla., told the Free Press in a phone interview Tuesday night that she has spoken twice with her brother since his failed suicide attempt Friday -- including Tuesday before his arrest on parental kidnapping charges.
Ford said investigators who have interviewed her brother have told him they believe the woman he says he gave his children to -- a Joann Taylor -- is not real.
"They're trying to tell my brother that he is Joann. That he made up an alter ego," she said.

http://www.freep.com/article/20101201/NEWS06/12010435/1322/Missing-boys-Sister-says-dad-is-not-getting-a-fair-shake

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