Mother of 3 boys missing since 2010 asks court to declare them legally dead

MORENCI, Mich. (WTVG/Gray News) - The mother of three missing boys who have been missing for more than a decade is asking a court to declare them legally dead.

No one has reportedly seen Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton since Thanksgiving of 2010.

The boys’ father, John Skelton, was sent to jail in 2011 and has remained behind bars since being convicted of unlawful imprisonment.

Now, the declaration of death is being sought by the boys’ mother, Tanya Zuvers.

The filing for a petition for declaration of death was filed in Lenawee County Probate Court in December 2023. Both sides have already been in court.

A pretrial is scheduled for next Thursday with the trial scheduled in July.

According to Michigan law, anyone missing for five years is presumed to be dead.

John Skelton had his parole denied in September 2023 and is scheduled to remain in jail until November 2025, completing his full sentence.

The declaration of death filing for one of the brothers, Andrew, is available online. The filing for the other boys is nearly the same, WTVG reports.

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