Michigan Father Who Claimed He Sent Missing Sons to ‘Underground Sanctuary’ Set for Prison Release After 14 Years

MORENCI, MICHIGAN — A Michigan man whose three sons mysteriously vanished in 2010 is set to walk free later this month — despite the boys never being found alive.

John Skelton, 53, was convicted in 2011 of wrongful imprisonment for refusing to return his children to their mother after Thanksgiving weekend. His sons — Andrew, 9; Alexander, 7; and Tanner, 5 — have been missing for nearly 15 years.

Children Vanished After Thanksgiving Visit

According to court records, Skelton spent Thanksgiving 2010 with his sons at his home in Morenci, Michigan, and was supposed to return them to his ex-wife, Tanya Zuvers, the following day. Instead, the boys disappeared without a trace.

Investigators later traced Skelton’s cellphone to a location 30 miles into Ohio, before it returned to his home the same day. That Friday, Skelton was hospitalized after what police described as a failed suicide attempt.

When questioned about his missing children, Skelton gave multiple conflicting stories, including a claim that he had turned them over to an “underground sanctuary” in Ohio to protect them from their mother, whom he accused of being dangerous.

Authorities said they found no evidence such a group ever existed.

Boys Declared Dead, But Father Never Charged With Murder

Despite years of searching and hundreds of leads, no trace of the three boys has ever been found. In March of this year, their mother, Zuvers, had them legally declared dead.

Zuvers also asked the court to declare Skelton responsible for their deaths, but the request was denied. Prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to pursue homicide charges.

In interviews from prison, Skelton continued to claim he had given the boys away to strangers, describing them as two women and an older man who allegedly drove them away in a van on Thanksgiving night. He later admitted to making up several stories to mislead investigators.

Skelton to Walk Free After Serving Sentence

Skelton was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for three counts of unlawful imprisonment. After being denied parole in 2023, he has now been approved for release on November 29, 2025, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Authorities confirmed that Skelton has served his full minimum sentence and will be released under standard supervision conditions.

Family Still Searching for Answers

The boys’ mother continues to grieve without closure. Over the years, Zuvers has publicly accused Skelton of lying to protect himself, calling his story about the “underground sanctuary” “yet another cruel deception.”

“He took them from me, and he’s never told the truth about where they are,” she said in a prior interview.

Investigators say the case remains open, but no new leads have surfaced in recent years.

For continued coverage of unsolved child disappearance cases and justice updates across the Midwest, visit ChicagoMusicGuide.com.