STATE OF MICHIGAN LENAWEE COUNTY PROBATE COURT Inre Andrew Ryan Skelton File No.__23-53020-ML Judge Catherine A. Sala eee em» R. Burke Castleberry, Jr. (P72093) Attorney for Petitioner 7577 US 12 Onsted, Mi 49221 (517) 487-4000 [email protected] PETITION FOR DECLARATION OF DEATH In the matter of Andrew Ryan Skelton, presumed decedent: Petitioner, Tanya Lynn Zuvers, by and through her attorney, R. Burke Castleberry, Jr., represents that: 1. Petitioner is interested in this matter as the decedent’s mother and heir at law. 2. Presumed decedent Andrew Ryan Skelton, DOB (MC 97), last 4 of SSN (MC 97), Domicile: City of Morenci, Lenawee County, Michigan. 3. The presumed decedent has not been seen or heard from since November 26, 2010. On that date, the presumed decedent was last seen in the presence of his father and brothers (who also have not been seen or heard from since that date). Further, the father of the presumed decedent and his missing brothers, is unable RECEIVED BY CLERK OF COURT DEC 12 2028 ROBATE COURT, (euawee COUNTYor unwiling to offer any plausible explanation as to the whereabouts of these children. }. The body of the presumed decedent has not been found. MCL 700.1208(2) states that "An individual whose death is not otherwise established under this section or section 1207, who is absent for a continuous period of 5 years during which he or she has not been heard from, and whose absence is not satisfactorily explained after diligent search or inquiry is presumed to be dead. The individual's death is presumed to have occurred at the end of the period unless there is sufficient evidence to determine that death occurred earlier.” |. The facts and circumstances concerning this disappearance and presumed death are: Andrew Ryan Skelton, Alexander William Skelton, and Tanner Lucas ‘Skelton were last seen on or about November 26, 2010. John Skelton has done nothing to assist the authorities, his family, or his ex-wife's family in what has become an exhaustive search for his three sons since they went missing in 2010. In the immediate hours after the three sons were never seen again, SKELTON began his journey of misdirection and lies when his story began to unfold as to the whereabouts of his sons. John begged his estranged wife to let him have the boys during the Thanksgiving Holiday in 2010. During this time, John and his wife Tanya were separated. John was staying at the family house in Morenci and Tanya was living with family members only a few houses away. After she finally consented, John was advised to have the boys back to his wife during the evening hours of Thanksgiving. Hemanipulated his way into her allowing the boys to spend the night and he stated he would have the boys back to her the next morning. During the early morning hours of black Friday the following day, detectives would later uncover that John's cell phone tracked approximately thirty miles into Ohio around 4:30am. The cell phone tracking then went dead (indicating his cell phone was tuned off) and when the phone was tumed back on, records indicate John was back at his house in Morenci around 6am. During the next several hours, John’s behavior would completely contradict the story he began telling his wife and the authorities. Just a few hours after John's cell phone was turned back on, he drove to a family members residence in the area and asked for a ride to the hospital due to an alleged broken ankle. His boys were not with him. (Itwas later revealed that John sustained this injury due to a suicide attempt when he tried to hang himself in his residence). John was taken to the hospital and very soon began getting phone calls from Tanya asking when he would have the boys back to her. John's first lie came when he stated the boys were with a friend of his and this friend would be returning the boys to her. He later lied again and stated he did not know where the boys were because he was unsure who had the boys. Because of the multiple lies and bizarre circumstances that led to John having these conversations with Tanya while he was in the hospital from his suicide attempt, Tanya had called the authorities and notified them the boys were missing. John was soon placed into custody.In the hours and days to follow, the authorities began the search for the boys. ‘After a search warrant was obtained for John’s residence, it was found that he had essentially destroyed everything in his house. The rope from his suicide attempt was found hanging from a stair banister. Multiple tow straps were also found that had been cut. When John was interviewed by authorities, he told a new story and indicated that he gave the boys to a type of underground group to keep the boys away from his soon-to-be-ex-wife because he felt she was a danger to the boys. This begs the question that if John felt his boys were unsafe with Tanya and he was able to truly hide the boys with an underground group for their safety, why would he attempt suicide? Why would he tell multiple lies and provide misdirection to the police? If his story was true, one would be led to believe that he should be happy in his endeavor to hide his boys, not suicidal. Why lie, deceive, misdirect, and withhold information? His actions do not match up with the multiple lies he has told. John told police at one point that the boys were given to a woman named Joanne Taylor. Police then did an exhaustive search for any woman going by this name with nil results. John also indicated to authorities that he had a vision of the boys being put in a dumpster in an area in Ohio. An exhaustive search was then conducted of dumpsters and landfills in this area with nil results. During the first few months following the boys disappearance, hundreds of tips were received across the country relating to this investigation. One by one thesetips were investigated with nil results. When authorities would attempt to speak with John in prison, he would not discuss anything relating to the whereabouts of his missing boys. All of John's prison phone calls and written correspondence has been closely monitored and there has never been any mention from John or anyone he has been communicating with as to the well-being or whereabouts of his children. There has never been any mention of when the boys would be retumed. John has never shown any emotion if his missing boys are mentioned in conversation. Years later during a prison interview with John, John randomly brought the boys up in a conversation with authorities. This was the first time John ever initiated a conversation with the police. He then explained that the police needed to find a man named Mose Gingerinch. When asked why, John stated that the “people” who have the boys told him that Mose could help bring the boys back, John did not provide any further information regarding this, just that he believes Mr. Gingerich could help find his boys. In the days follow, police were able to find MOSES GINGERICH and speak to him about this matter. Mr. Gingerich was a former TV personality who had a television series on cable TV relating to the Amish Community. Mr. Gingerich and his wife had a boarding house of sorts for people who wanted to leave the Amish community and enter the “real world”. Mr. Gingerich would assist these people with learning technology and ways to integrate into mainstream society.Moses was interviewed by police and stated he has never heard of John Skelton or this investigation. He indicated that the Amish community would not engage in hiding three boys for safe keeping for a number of years. He also indicated that it would be next to impossible for the Amish community to keep something of this, nature quiet for so many years. He stated they would not want the spotlight from the authorities and the media that something of this magnitude would bring. After interviewing Gingerich, he was then brought to the prison where John Skelton was housed. An interview was set up with Skelton and Gingerich was soon brought in the room to speak with John, When John saw Gingerich’s face, he immediately became visibly disturbed and acted as if he would become ill. Authorities then explained to John that Gingerich was brought in front of him in order to help find the boys. John indicated that he only knew Gingerich's name and nothing more. Gingerich spoke with John for several minutes trying to gain any information about an Amish community connection to this investigation, however, John provided no further information, It should be noted that at the time John first brough up Gingerich's name in the interview with police was around the same time he was taken out of segregation and placed in protective custody. John now had access to television and at the time, Mr. Gingerich’s television series was being aired and available for John to view. Later John would indicate that the entire story about Moses Gingerich was yet another lie. In thirteen years following the disappearance of the Skelton brothers, hundreds of tips, searches, and interviews have been conducted in the hopes of finding theboys. This case has received not only local media attention but also national media attention consistently for thirteen years with nil results. All of the information provided by the last person to see the boys, John Skelton, leads investigators to believe that John Skelton killed his sons. At this time, all three boys would be over the age of 18. If the boys were stil alive, they would be of age where they would now be adults. If John Skelton’s lies were true, the boys should now be able to be brought back into society, however, this has not happened and authorities have not received any type of cooperation from John Skelton. 7. The interested persons to this petition are: a. Tanya Lynn Zuvers, age 57, Mother ep b. John Russell Skelton, age 51, Father, Inmate number 812693, Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, 1727 West Bluewater Highway, lonia, Ml 48846 c. Alexander William Skelton, age 20, Brother, (GERD (presumed deceased) d. Tanner Lucas Skelton, age 18, Brother, Qi (GERD (presumed deceased) PETITIONER REQUESTS that the court grant the following relief: A. The Court declare Andrew Ryan Skelton deceased.| declare under the penalty of perjury that | have examined this petition and that its contents are true to the best of my information, knowledge, and belief. Dated: \ [0 }G0a5 any yr jpoek é Tanya Lynn Zuvers Petitioner STATE OF MICHIGAN) i$ COUNTY OF LENAWEE) On November 10, 2023, before me, a Notary Public in and for said County, personally Lenawee County, Michigan My Commission Expires: 11/20/2027 Prepared by: (617) 487-4000