(WWJ) The father of three missing Lenawee County children in a high-profile case will remain in prison for now.
Authorities say John Skelton — the last person seen with his sons Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton on Thanksgiving Day, 2010 — declined to appear before the parole board this week.
Chris Gautz, Public Information Officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections, told WWJ Newsradio 950 on Friday that Skelton will not be granted parole at this time, after Skelton declined to attend his parole hearing.
This does not automatically mean that parole could not be granted, but that would be considered rare, Gautz said.
In this case, the board decided on another one-year continuance, which means Skelton will have another shot at parole at around this time next year.
As for why Skelton declined, that is unknown. Gautz said inmates are not required to give a reason for refusing a parole hearing, and Skelton did not do so.
Declining a parole hearing is also fairly rare Gautz said, adding that reasons to do so may include trauma, fear of navigating life outside of prison, or just believing "there's no use in going back," after a past rejection by the board.
The Skelton brothers, ages 9, 7 and 5 at the time, were last seen in their father's backyard. They were reported missing after the dad failed to return them to their mother the next day — Friday, Nov. 26, 2010 — setting off a decade-long search.
John Skelton, 49, has since given conflicting accounts of what happened to his sons, including claiming that he handed them over to an underground group to protect them from their mom.
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In September of 2011, John Skelton pleaded no contest to three counts of unlawful imprisonment in the case, and was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison.
He was denied parole at a hearing in 2020.
If granted parole in 2022, John Skelton's next eligibility date for release from prison would be Nov. 29, 2022. For now, he remains lodged in the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, with his latest release date set for Nov. 29, 2025.
Meanwhile, the investigation remains open.
Anyone who has information on the Skelton brothers is asked to contact Michigan State Police at 517-636-0689 or at michigan.gov/michtip.
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