LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. – The remains of three children were found in a wooded area in Tennessee recently. The remains have not yet been identified, but the mother of the missing Skelton brothers said they do not belong to her sons.
According to NBC News, the remains of three young children believed to be between the ages of 3 and 7 were discovered in a wooded area in Memphis, Tennessee. Officials believe the remains have been there for years.
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On April 23, the mother of the missing Skelton brothers, Alexander, Tanner and Andrew, who were ages 9, 5 and 7 when they disappeared in 2010, released a statement on Facebook following the recent news in Tennessee, saying it’s believed the remains do not belong to her sons.
“However, we understand that the situation is still developing, and we are awaiting official forensic analysis results for confirmation,” Tanya Zuvers said on Facebook. “No matter who the bones belong to, some families’ world will be shattered by the news of their children’s deaths. We as a family continue to pray for answers for ourselves, and pray for the family/families that these precious babies belong to that they find peace in knowing where their babies are.”
Her full statement can be read below:
Our family is aware of the recent discovery of human remains in Memphis, Tennessee. We have been in contact with our detectives and are staying informed as more details become available.
At this time, based on the information we have received, we do not believe that these remains belong to Andrew, Alexander, or Tanner. However, we understand that the situation is still developing, and we are awaiting official forensic analysis results for confirmation.
No matter who the bones belong to, some families’s world will be shattered by the news of their children’s deaths. We as a family continue to pray for answers for ourselves, and pray for the family/families that these precious babies belong to that they find peace in knowing where their babies are.
We appreciate the continued support, concern, and respect for our family during this time.
Tanya Zuvers via Facebook
What to know about the missing Skelton brothers
The three boys were 9, 7 and 5 years old when they disappeared from Lenawee County in November 2010. The boys were last seen with their father.
To this day, the Skelton brothers have never been found, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
John Skelton had spent time with the boys over the Thanksgiving holiday amid a divorce and custody dispute with their mother, Tanya Zuvers.
He was supposed to return them to their mother on Black Friday, Nov. 26, 2010.
Police said they tracked John Skelton’s phone leaving his Morenci home and traveling about 25 miles southwest into Ohio before returning to Morenci.
When he failed to return the boys and did not provide clear information about their whereabouts, Zuvers called the police.
Federal and state law enforcement agencies have carried out massive searches across Michigan and Ohio.
For more than a decade, there have been more questions than answers in the disappearance of the three Skelton brothers.
John Skelton claimed he gave the boys to an underground group to protect them from their mother, alleging abuse by Zuvers, who denies the claims. Over the years, Skelton’s story has changed, sometimes mentioning the Amish as the group, but no such group has been identified or come forward.
A judge declared the boys dead in March 2025. Police said they believed Skelton was holding back information.
Anyone with information about the case or the boys’ whereabouts is asked to call Michigan State Police at 1-517-636-0689 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.