Michigan Mother Asks Judge to Declare 3 Missing Sons Dead Nearly 15 Years Later

This plaque honors the missing Skelton brothers in the municipal park on the banks of Bean Creek in Morenci, Mich., on Jan. 27, 2017. Dale G. Young/Detroit News via AP

ADRIAN, Mich.—A Michigan woman is asking a judge to declare her three missing sons dead, nearly 15 years after their father didn’t return them after Thanksgiving. The disappearance has tormented a small town near Ohio and remains unsolved.

Authorities believe the brothers are deceased and they clearly suspect John Skelton is responsible, though he has not been charged with killing his sons. By November, he is expected to complete a 15-year prison sentence for his failure to give the boys back to Tanya Zuvers, the sole conviction in the saga.