John Skelton
|
The days are gone forever when our enemies could blackmail us with nuclear bombs. This article is a stub and is in need of expansion. You can help Real-Life Villains by expanding it. |
|
John Skelton is an American man responsible for kidnapping his three young sons (9-year old Andrew, 7-year old Alexander, and 5-year old Tanner) from the home of their mother in Morenci, Michigan on November 26, 2010. The three children have never been seen again. At the time, John and his ex-wife, Tanya, had recently divorced and were in the middle of a bitter custody battle.
Events edit
On November 26, 2010, John picked up the boys for a court-ordered visit. It was the last time Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton were seen by their mother and the rest of their family. Authorities later found him alone in his house after he attempted suicide, but the three boys were nowhere to he found.
John initially claimed that he placed his sons in the care of an acquaintance of his, a woman named Joann Taylor. Police found John attempting to commit suicide but prevented him from doing so. Further investigation turned up no sign of the boys nor any evidence that they were in the care of a "Joann Taylor", or that she even existed.
He changed his story while in police custody, saying instead that he was trying to get them away from their mother because she was abusing them, and that he gave the boys to a foster care organization known as "United Foster Outreach and Underground Sanctuaries". Once again, it has been determined that no such organization exists, and no proof of Tanya abusing her sons has been found. He has also reportedly changed his story a third time and claimed he placed them in the care of an Amish community. It is unknown if this lead has been followed up on.
In July 2011, John was sentenced to fifteen years in prison on three counts of unlawful imprisonment. Despite his constantly changing stories, John has continuously claimed that his sons are still alive, and other family members, including his ex-wife, believe that John wouldn't harm the boys.
The investigation into the whereabouts of the Skelton brothers is still ongoing as of 2019, but their whereabouts are still unknown.