MORENCI, MI (WTOL) – Nearly a year after the disappearance of Andrew, Alex and Tanner Skelton, the town of Morenci, Michigan is still searching for answers.
The boys- who disappeared around Thanksgiving last year- seemed to have a connection with every member of the community, whether they were in the same class as a child, or a longtime family friend.
The community banded together to search for the boys, but no evidence has surfaced.
Fortunately, the community remains hopeful, as well as their mother, Tanya Zuvers:
"I'm focusing on the positive, and not letting myself dwell about what could be, but that the boys are coming home."
In October, Tanya attended her first vigil for the boys, and has embraced the outpouring of support from her community. She and her daughter will hold a one-year awareness event on Sunday. It is a landmark she hoped would never happen.
Zuvers thought the boys would be back by now, and says for a while, she was in a dark place:
"I was trying to do it on my own, and it wasn't working. One friend made the comment. You don't want your boys to come home and see you like this."
After that, she checked herself into a stress unit for 6 days. Her father tells us it has made a huge difference.
Tanya says she knows in her heart that the boys are alive, and the family will keep their positive attitudes until the boys return home.
The Morenci Police Department also has not given up hope. They are planning a checkpoint at the busy intersection of Morenci Rd. and 127 this Friday, where they will stop cars in an attempt to gather information about the boys' disappearance.
"It's a common day when families might be going out to go Black Friday shopping and or go hunting. It's kind of a traditional day for some folks so we're hoping this might spark some memory." explains Chief Larry Weeks.
From 4-7 pm, they will hand out flyers with the boys faces, along with information about their father and the van they were last seen in.
An investigator will also be there, and he explains that they are doing everything they legally can to get new information.
Chief Weeks states that John Skelton's cell phone activity leads authorities to believe that he was out and about on Black Friday of last year, and he hopes that someone will remember some significant information.
If you have any helpful information, please contact the Morenci Police Department at 517-458-2323.
