The Skelton Brothers Case: Father Long Suspected Is Now Charged With Murder of His 3 Kids

On Thanksgiving weekend in 2010, three brothers Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton vanished during a court ordered holiday visit with their father, John Skelton. What was supposed to be a routine custody exchange became one of the most haunting child disappearance cases in the Midwest. John claimed he handed the boys to a woman named Joann Taylor to keep them safe while he attempted suicide. Investigators later proved Joann Taylor did not exist. Neither did the underground foster network John insisted had taken his sons. With no bodies, no witnesses, and no clear timeline, the case stalled while John served time for unrelated charges. Now, fifteen years later, everything has changed. In 2025, prosecutors officially charged John Skelton with the murders of all three boys just weeks before his expected release from prison. Investigators believe new evidence finally supports what many feared from the beginning. As the case moves back into court, one question still hangs over everything. Will these charges finally reveal what happened to the Skelton brothers, or will the truth remain buried forever? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices