Adrian, MI – A declaration of death trial took place Monday in Lenawee County Probate Court to determine whether or not the missing Skelton brothers should be considered legally dead. Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton went missing from their Morenci home on or about November 26th, 2010. Their father, John Skelton, is serving the tail end of a 15-year sentence for unlawful imprisonment.
The boys’ mother, Tanya Zuvers, petitioned the court to declare that her sons are dead back in late 2023. Burke Castleberry is representing Zuvers in the case and Allexis Stang is legally representing the Skelton brothers.
Lenawee County Probate Court Judge Catherine Sala is tasked with deciding whether or not to declare the boys legally deceased. She heard hours of testimony Monday from local, state, and federal law enforcement about the circumstances surrounding Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner’s disappearance and what has been done in the years that followed.
Judge Sala also heard testimony from Zuvers herself, who, along with law enforcement officials who spoke under oath Monday, believes that her children are dead…and that they passed away on or about November 26th, 2010. Judge Sala told the courtroom Monday that she would have a decision Wednesday morning. The proceeding from Monday were streamed on the Probate Court YouTube channel, and have been inserted below.
Before the stream started, John Skelton appeared via Zoom from a Michigan Department of Corrections Facility. He was given the opportunity to address the court, but chose not to, citing that he did not have a lawyer with him, and that anything he said would not make a difference.
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