Clergy Members Reportedly Visit Jailed Father of Missing Michigan Boys
Police reportedly hoped the meeting would help them find the three boys.
Dec. 1, 2010 — -- The father of the three young brothers who have been missing since Thanksgiving reportedly received an unusual jailhouse visit from clergy members this week as police try to learn what happened to the boys.
John Skelton is being held in an Ohio jail, where he is fighting extradition to Michigan where he will face charges of parental kidnapping, authorities said Wednesday.
According to the Detroit Free Press, two members of the clergy were allowed to meet with Skelton in person at the Lucas County Corrections Center in Toledo, rather than through a video hook-up, which is the normal procedure.
Corrections Administrator Jim O'Neal told the newspaper that law enforcement officials asked for the meetings as a way to get information from Skelton about his sons.
Skelton, who is being held on a $3 million bond, is scheduled to have a hearing on Dec. 14. He is fighting his extradition from Ohio to Michigan, where the alleged crimes are believed to have been committed.
Skelton was placed in police custody Tuesday after being released from the hospital where he was undergoing treatment following his failed suicide attempt the day after Thanksgiving.
"Information we have doesn't indicate [the case] will have a positive outcome," Morenci, Mich., Police Cheif Larry Weeks said Wednesday. "But we continue to be be out and active in multiple areas."
The three young boys -- Andrew Skelton, 9; Alexander Skelton, 7; and Tanner Skelton, 5 -- have been missing since Thanksgiving.
Earlier this week new details emerged about the relationship between the boy's father and his wife, Tanya Skelton, it was revealed that a nasty custody battle may have led to the disappearance of the three brothers. The couple married eight years ago but decided to separate earlier this year. Both sought permanent custody of their three sons.
