In a chilling turn of events, a Michigan father has been formally charged with the murder of his three sons, years after their mysterious disappearance. The charges were filed against John Skelton in Lenawee County, accusing him of committing open murder and tampering with evidence. This development comes as Skelton, who had been imprisoned since 2011 for kidnapping the boys, was nearing his scheduled release date on November 29.

The case, which has haunted the community for over a decade, involves Skelton’s three sons: Andrew, aged 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, who vanished in 2010. Earlier this year, Tanya Zuvers, the boys’ mother, successfully petitioned to have her sons legally declared dead. However, a judge had previously ruled that there was not enough evidence to conclusively prove the boys were murdered on or around November 26, 2010, or that their father was responsible for their deaths.

At the time of their disappearance, Zuvers had sole custody of the children while in the midst of a divorce from Skelton. The boys had spent Thanksgiving with their father, and Zuvers was set to collect them the following day. Skelton provided authorities with conflicting stories regarding the disappearance, including a claim that he had handed them over to a group to protect them from their mother, whom he accused of abuse—a claim that Zuvers has consistently denied.

The investigation into Skelton’s activities around the time of the disappearance revealed disturbing online searches. FBI Special Agent Corey Burras disclosed that Skelton had looked up information on breaking necks, as well as poisons such as potassium cyanide and rat poison, during the same month the boys disappeared.

For more details on this heartbreaking case, you can read about the unsolved mystery of the Skelton brothers here.

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…