Missing Michigan Boys: Father Claims They Are Safe at Undisclosed Location, Say Grandparents
TOLEDO, Ohio (CBS/AP) The grandparents of the three Michigan boys who have been missing since Thanksgiving say that the boys' father, John Skelton, has assured them the children are safe, and insists he is protecting them from their mother - who Skelton claims has been sexually abusing them.
PICTURES: Missing Children, Where are They?
Roxanne and William Skelton, who live in Florida, visited their son John at the Lucas County jail, in Toledo, Wednesday. After speaking to him for about 30 minutes through a video monitor, they told reporters outside the jail that their grandchildren are alive, according to CBS affiliate WTOL.
John Skelton, an unemployed truck driver, is fighting extradition to Michigan on parental kidnapping charges.
Nine-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner Skelton haven't been seen since Thanksgiving Day. The boys' mother, Tanya Skelton, reported them missing Nov. 26 when their father didn't return them after a court-ordered visitation at his home in Morenci, Mich.
Police have said John Skelton lied to investigators when he said he gave the boys to a female acquaintance to hand over to their mother before he tried to commit suicide.
"He said to tell you that his boys are safe and sound," Roxanne Skelton told reporters outside the jail Wednesday.
In fact, the couple says, Skelton told them the boys were the target of sex acts with his estranged wife, WTOL reported.
PICTURES: Missing Children, Where are They?
Tanya Skelton is on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry for her 1998 conviction for having a relationship with a 14-year-old neighbor boy, according to The Detroit News.
The Rev. Donna Galloway of Morenci United Methodist, John and Tanya Skelton's former pastor, denies the claims of abuse, the paper reported.
"Mr. Skelton, through his relatives, is attempting to deflect the attention from himself and his bad acts," Galloway told the News. "If the boys are somewhere safe, anyone with knowledge of that should tell because they would be as criminally liable as he is."
When reporters asked Roxanne and William Skelton whether they asked their son where they boys were, they said that he would not tell them "nor did we want him to tell us," according to WTOL.
"He took those boys out of harm's way and I respect my son," said Roxanne Skelton. However, she admits her son is not in good spirits and is depressed, the station reported.
Hundreds of volunteers along with authorities have searched fields, rivers, ditches and vacant buildings in both southern Michigan and northern Ohio since the boys disappeared. The disappearance and search has consumed Morenci, a town of about 2,000 residents 75 miles southwest of Detroit.
Authorities suspended the volunteer search last weekend, and say they are continuing to check out tips but don't expect a positive outcome to the case.
John Skelton is jailed on a $3 million bond and due in court for an extradition hearing next week.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE MISSING MICHIGAN BOYS ON CRIMESIDER
