Missing Michigan Boys Update: Father Out of Work, Lost Custody Before They Disappeared

MORENCI, Mich. (CBS/AP) The father of three missing Michigan boys was out of work, his marriage had fallen apart and he'd lost custody of his children in the months before he told police that he gave the boys to an acquaintance and tried to kill himself.

PICTURES: Missing Children, Where are They?

Police said Monday that they don't believe John Skelton's claim that he handed his children over to a woman he met online and had crews searching areas in Michigan and along an Ohio highway where the FBI said Skelton's blue minivan had been seen Thursday or Friday.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said police spent several days searching extensively in records and by other means for the woman and couldn't find any evidence she existed.

Skelton's sons - Tanner, 5, Alexander, 7, and Andrew, 9 - were last seen Thursday in the backyard of their father's southern Michigan home, and authorities said they believe they are in danger. Weeks did not name Skelton as a suspect in the boys' disappearance, but he said investigators haven't ruled him out.

Skelton, 39, has been in an Ohio hospital since Friday, receiving treatment for "mental health issues" after telling police he tried to hang himself, Weeks said.

The boys were reported missing Friday by their mother, Tanya Skelton, who was awarded custody after filing for divorce on Sept. 13.

They had been with their father as part of court-ordered visitation.

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