DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum 3 kids missing in Morenci, MI

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=13584449

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=7814475&rss=rss-wtvg-article-7814475

There are a bunch of other articles as well.

Long story short - 3 brothers, ages 9, 7, and 5 - have been missing since Thursday, Thanksgiving day. From what I gather, the dad is a suspect at this time, as his alibi/excuse isn't panning out.

The search has been moved from Morenci, Michigan, to Pioneer Ohio. That's close to me - perhaps 20 miles or so.

Pray for the kids. I'll be going to help in the search tomorrow late A.M. as I scheduled the rest of the week off for deer hunting. Wed. I will be there early, if, unfortunately, need be.

My guess is at this time - with no sight or sound from the kids - it's bodies they are looking for.

Say a prayer for the kids. Click one of the links and look at their faces...............Hopefully the kids are okay - buy I'm guessing they aren't.

I'm not sure if I'm pissed off more, or more sad...........

Oh man.


That about makes me unable to type thinking about that. I pray that those boys are alright.

I will never understand how somebody can hurt a child. It makes me sick to even think about it.,

I was up in Toledo with my parents for Thanksgiving and have been reading a lot about this story in The Blade. Sick SOB probably killed the kids then chickened out on his suicide attempt.

Nothing gets my blood boiling more than a coward who would harm a child. Take your own life if you want to but why harm your own child!?!

I pray this story ends up better than the one a few weeks ago around Mount Vernon.

Heard they're concentrating a search in Williams County, northwest Ohio. He must have given them some info,....

I thnk it is honorable of you to volunteer. I'm afraid of what I might see, but let us know what you find out.

Godspeed if you go arch... Years ago, my dad and I volunteered to help find a drowning victim in an old quarry because the authorities couldn't get boats with dragging gear to the site and there weren't enough fire and police SCUBA divers to adequately cover the area where they thought the victim was.

It was an experience I'll never forget (even though neither me or my dad found the victim - another diver down the line did). The water was very murky and visibility was extremely limited. We basically started at one end of the quarry and slowly swam across to the other side with our hands out forward hoping (?) to find the victim. It was a creepy and sad job, but the family was SO grateful for the help in finding their loved one that it made the whole thing worth it.

Thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the missing boys AND to those who are searching for them.

I thought I saw a report on the news this morning saying the Father is in custody now..

This is so so sad.

I don't have kids,,, But I'm so damn protective of my wife and family,, and of all things, my new little puppy,,, I can't imagine what kind of raving maniac I'd become if someone hurt any of them.....

So for this guy to even be a suspect,,, wow,, that's just beyond my ability to comprehend.....

I heard that too, a mental institution after the suicide attempt. He's a dead man walking.

Would like to know where Joann Taylor is.

j/c

Yeah, I went. Had about a 20 minute bus ride - they dropped us off in groups of 10. We searched about 4 to 4 1/2 miles.

I didn't catch the news tonight.

Here's what I do know: Thanksgiving day was the last the kids were seen. The father and mother had divorced - father lost his job, mom sued for custody - the visitation thing seemed to be working out. For a while.

I know the guys mom lives in florida - haven't ever heard anything about his dad.

The guy claims he was depressed - was going to commit suicide, so instead of taking his kids to their mom's house, he claims to have given them to a Joann Taylor. Someone he "met" on the internet.

Police are saying there is no Joann Taylor.

The "claim" is he then attempted to hang himself, but fell and hurt himself, so he called a friend to take him to the hospital. He was then transferred to a mental hospital somewhere.

I also heard, and can't verify - that he was arrested today and charged with kidnapping and taken to the lucas county jail - but again, that is not verified as far as I know.

Arch,
the father was arrested today upon being released from the mental hospital.

And I absolutely can not imagine ANY reason in the world that a father could do this to his kids.

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=13589291

Yup, arrested. Will be sent to michigan soon. As of now, kidnapping charges - eventually it will be more I would guess.

Got another deer today.

Ironically, some of the searchers were near me. Yesterday wasn't so bad - looking - because I was with 9 other people. Today, traipsing through the woods - seeing searchers along the road - I got a bit nervous. I hunt by myself, and I kept thinking "what if........?" Not a great feeling.

I am planning on helping in the search tomorrow - probably hunting friday. Last I heard, they're calling the search off on Friday evening. It seems the jerk dad doesn't care about the bodies of his 5, 7, and 9 yr. old kids.

Just an update. The quote is from this article: http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20101202/NEWS16/101209951/0/NEWS19

....."But he also said investigators believe their father John Skelton's cell phone was used in the area last week. In addition, several witnesses have come forward saying they saw Mr. Skelton's van exit from the nearby Ohio Turnpike.

In addition to the divers, 200 volunteers were searching on foot Thursday in the woods around Elmira, Ohio, which is just north of the turnpike in Fulton County. "




Guess where I was? Yup - right there - searching, not hunting. It is only about 9 miles from my house - and only about a mile from where I usually hunt.

Since we had a small group for this area, we drove down in 4 trucks. The firemen in charge are from all over - 1 from close to detroit - 1 from Springfield township near toledo..etc. I had told them I knew the area very well. Good thing I went actually, because they didn't even know how to get there.

One of the searchers found something "of interest". Called it in. Then he asked me "where the hell are we? How do I tell them how to get here?"

A bit later I got the phone handed to me again - and was told "hey, maybe you can help this guy get here." I asked the guy where he was - and told him how to get where we were. (It was a michigan deputy - we were in Ohio - he didn't know the roads, etc).

Sorry to keep this thread going, but: It's such a tragic story, and it's happening so close to me.

please keep the thread going. every time I see that you made a post on it, I click hoping they've found the kids.

Just an update: It's getting weird. The fathers parents visited him today. They are "sure" the boys are fine. They question the police and FBI and their investigation. They claim John (father) had problems with the mother, went to the police, and nothing was ever done - no investigating the mother or anything.

They say John told them the boys are fine, and he only did what he had to to protect them from their mother.

Ironically - he's sitting in jail charged with parental kidnapping. And they said they had no comment on where the boys were.

They also said he's not suicidal - not even close. "He did what he had to to protect the kids."

Seems to me, if the kids were in danger from the mother, he would've been able to prove something, right? Why ship the kids off? Further more, he's sitting in jail and not telling authorities anything about where the kids are. He's facing serious jail time - yet he won't help authorities find his kids?

I was born, but I wasn't born yesterday. The guy is not a mental case - he's intelligent. He's playing every angle he can.

If I'm sitting in jail, looking at prison, I'd be telling the cops everything I knew - wouldn't you?

Quit playing games John - fess up, or tell the authorities where the kids are, who they are with, etc.

Arch,, I see you are angry over this.. and you aren't wrong.. not at all.. Not in my eyes anyway.

but you are trying to figure out why a nutjob is a nutjob.. Good luck with that.

Get this: The dad is back in Michigan now (in jail). Had his court appearance. http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=13686555

MORENCI, MI (WTOL) - The father of three missing michigan brothers, John Skelton, was back in court Thursday as part of a custody hearing.

While in court he said he gave the boys to someone from an "organization" who visited his home on Thanksgiving.

However, he says he "didn't know the person".

Skelton remains locked up, facing three parental kidnapping charges.

Nine-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner Skelton haven't been seen since Thanksgiving Day."


So, let's re hash his stories. First, he gave the kids to a lady named Joann Taylor. Who doesn't exist.

Then, he says his ex was sexually abusing the kids - and there is no proof of that - not even a single report to the police or children's services.

Then, he said the kids were safe with someone.

Now, he says he gave them to a stranger from an "organization".....didn't know the stranger, didn't know the organization.

But apparently he felt comfortable with the lady he met on Thanksgiving day? Comfortable enough to send his 3 kids with her, even though he didn't know her, or her "organization"?

All so he could "protect" the kids, while he, meanwhile "attempted" suicide? But he hurt his foot in his suicide attempt, so he decided to go to the hospital to get his foot taken care of? Well, I guess no one should kill themselves if they have a sore foot, right?

And most parents that care about their kids just ship them off with a stranger, not knowing the "organization", right?

what's your gut feeling on this?

Arch...any updates on these kids?

Nope.

The dad was moved back to MI - says the kids are "with an organization".....but he wouldn't tell the judge what organization.....pretty much the same as the last update I gave.

Okay, thanks. They have just been on my mind and thought you might have heard something. I know you'll post an update...

Not much of an update, He waived his right to a preliminary exam in district court a week or so ago, and now he waived his right to an arraignment hearing in the county court. Hasn't plead anything yet. Next court date Feb 9 for a pre-trial hearing.

http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20110105/NEWS02/110109815/-1/RSS10

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=13925866

Just the latest "news".

What a total ass.

This is crazy. What does he mean he gave them to an "organzation?" What kind of organization?

Is there a possibility the boys are dead, or has it been determined they are still alive, or just nowhere to be found?

There are 3 littles boys life at stake here, and everyone is left in the dark because of his refusal to talk?

At this point I think you get the information by whatever means possible. Whatever means.

Just clicking..

Put a gun to his head,, he tells where the boys are,, or the trigger gets pulled..

Once he tells and it's verified,, pull that damn trigger anyway...

If you read the whole thread you'll find:

The dad gave them to a lady (he said a name, but I forget what it was), to take them back to their mom's house. He then "attempted" suicide. However, in his "attempt" at killing himself, he fell and hurt his leg - didn't break it - just hurt it. So, he called a friend to take him to the hospital.........uh huh - wanted to kill himself, but hurt his ankle so he wanted treatment. Right.

Then the kids were reported missing. (this is when he said he had given them to this lady, whose husband was a pastor somewhere in michigan, and whom he had befriended on the internet)

Cops get involved, FBI gets involved. Hmmm....check his computer...question him, in the hospital. And he says "look in the water." Then the searching began.

He gets charged with parental kidnapping. Then he says he gave them to an "organization". Won't name the "organization". Why did he give them to an "organization"? According to him, their mother was sexually abusing the kids. So, to get them out of that, he had to give them away to some "organization". And "attempt" suicide.

That's one heck of a stand up dad, isn't it????? Your kids are being sexually abused, so you give them to a stranger so you can kill yourself? Story not adding up here.

Coincidentally, he was in the middle of a divorce AND custody battle. Hmmmm..........he was out of work - however, he was not fired, he just quit working. (from the son of the owner of the trucking firm Skelton used to work for)

After being charged, he gets an attorney appointed to him. Since then, he's shut up - hasn't said anything.


My opinion? He knows full well that without bodies, all he can be charged with is parental kidnapping - and my understanding is that only carries a 1 year sentence. 3 kids, 3 charges, 3 years in jail. (now, I'm no lawyer/judge - if I have the maximum sentence wrong, forgive me).

Oh, one other thing. The police chief of the Morenci police department said, after they and the fbi had questioned skelton numerous times - "we don't expect this to have a good ending."

I probably missed a thing or 2 in this recap, so forgive me.

Oh - a lady in Sandusky - worked at a donut shop - said she saw the kids a couple days after they went missing. Interviewed by the fbi, and police - nothing has come of that. Possibly she wanted some t.v. time? (she waited about a week after "seeing" the kids to call police)

I hope I'm wrong - but I think the kids are dead.

I fear you are right Arch. By not telling authorities where the kids are, he avoids murder charges. Why in the world would he kill his 3 boys though? What would be his motif?

This whole thing stinks. Start pulling his fingernails out one by one until he gives in.