(WWJ) A Michigan man imprisoned in a high-profile case of three missing children could be released as soon as this fall.
John Skelton — the last person seen with his sons Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton outside his Lenawee County home on Thanksgiving Day, 2010 — is once again up for parole.
The brothers, ages 9, 7 and 5 at the time, were reported missing after their father failed to return them to their mother the next day... setting off a decade-long search that's made headlines nationwide.
John Skelton, 49, has since given conflicting and otherwise dubious accounts of what happened to the kids, including giving them to an underground group to protect them from their mom.
The dad's cell phone was traced to Holiday City, Ohio the morning of Friday, Nov. 26, 2010, but police have yet to find any witnesses who might shed light on whether or not the boys were with him... and what he was doing there.
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 2020, but will have another shot at it soon.
Chris Gautz, Public Information Officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections, told Adrian-based WLEN that John Skelton will be seen by the parole board the week of Aug. 23.
If granted parole, his eligibility date is Nov. 29 of this year. If he's denied again, Gautz said the date will then move to Nov. 29, 2022, and the board will have to interview him again around this time next year.
For now, John Skelton remains lodged in the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, with his latest release date set for Nov. 29, 2025.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to look for clues.
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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