A Michigan man whose three sons vanished in 2010 was charged with their murders on Wednesday.
WTVG reported that John Skelton was charged in Lenawee County with three counts of homicide – open murder and tampering with evidence. Skelton has been jailed since 2011 for kidnapping his three sons — Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5 — and his release was scheduled for November 29.
In March, the missing boys’ mother, Tanya Zuvers, was granted a petition to have them declared legally dead. However, the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence proving they were murdered on or about November 26, 2010, or that their father killed them.
READ: What Happened to the Skelton Brothers?
Zuvers had sole custody of the boys, as she and John Skelton were in the middle of a divorce. They had spent the holiday with their father, and their mother was to pick them up the next day. John Skelton told investigators multiple stories about the boys’ disappearance, including claiming he gave them to an organization to protect them from their mother, who he said was abusive, claims that she denied.
FBI Special Agent Corey Burras said John Skelton searched online about how to break a neck, potassium cyanide, and rat poison. The searches were allegedly conducted the same month his sons disappeared.
The FBI agent also alleged that John Skelton addressed Zuvers in a suicide note, stating, “You will hate me.” Burras said he believed the note implied that he killed their sons.
John Skelton appeared virtually at March’s hearing to declare his sons legally dead. He did not provide any information about their whereabouts.
“I’m at a disadvantage. Anything I say isn’t going to make a difference,” he said.
This story is developing…
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[Featured image: Handout]
