Over Thanksgiving weekend in 2010, three young brothers from Morenci, Michigan – Andrew (9), Alexander (7), and Tanner (5) Skelton – vanished while staying with their father, John Skelton, during a bitter custody dispute with their mother, Tanya Zuvers. John claimed he'd handed the boys over to a mysterious "organization" to protect them, spinning stories about a woman named Jo or Joann Taylor and an underground group that would keep the children hidden and safe. In the fifteen years since, no such group has ever been verified, no credible sightings of the boys have surfaced, and investigators have publicly said they believe the brothers were killed and their remains concealed somewhere between southern Michigan and northwest Ohio.​

This episode of [Podcast Name], "Gone by Thanksgiving: The Skelton Brothers of Morenci," walks through the last known hours of Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner's lives; the frantic searches across fields, ditches, and farm country; and the evolving lies John told about secret rescues and shadowy networks. We examine the digital and phone evidence that shifted the case from a possible parental abduction to a presumed triple homicide, the 2011 unlawful‑imprisonment conviction that kept John behind bars for up to 15 years, and the heartbreaking decision by Tanya to have her sons legally declared dead more than a decade after they disappeared.​

Finally, we bring the story into the present: in 2025, just as John's sentence was nearing its end, prosecutors charged him with three counts of open murder and three counts of evidence tampering in connection with the boys' disappearances, even though their bodies have never been found. Through court records, local reporting, and long‑form coverage, we explore what it means to seek justice in a no‑body homicide case, and how a small town and a mother live with fifteen Thanksgivings of unanswered questions.​​

Content warnings: Child disappearance and presumed homicide, family violence, mention of suicide attempts, legal discussion of murder charges.​

"On Thanksgiving weekend 2010, brothers Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton vanished from Morenci, Michigan while visiting their father. He claimed a secret 'organization' took them to safety. Fifteen years later, the boys are presumed dead, and their father has finally been charged with their murder—despite no bodies ever being found. This episode traces the boys' last known hours, the shifting lies, the searches across Michigan and Ohio, and the long road to murder charges in one of the Midwest's most haunting family mysteries."​​

Sources used in this episode include:
Local and regional reporting from ClickOnDetroit / WDIV‑Local 4 on the Skelton brothers' disappearance and timeline of events; Fox 2 Detroit coverage of the 2010 Thanksgiving disappearance, ongoing searches, and 2025 murder charges; national reporting on the legal declaration of death and court proceedings; CBS Detroit coverage of the new murder and evidence‑tampering charges; and open‑source case discussions and anniversary pieces that compile interviews, law‑enforcement statements, and court records.

On Thanksgiving night, November 26, 2009, a family celebration in Jupiter, Florida turned into a scene of unimaginable horror. Thirty‑five‑year‑old Paul Michael Merhige joined relatives at Jim and Muriel Sitton's home for what was supposed to be a peaceful holiday dinner. Hours later, he stepped outside, returned with a handgun, and opened fire on his own family. Four relatives were killed: his aunt, 76‑year‑old Raymonde Joseph; his twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, who was pregnant; and six‑year‑old Makayla Sitton, murdered as she slept in her bed.​

In this episode, Murder, Blood, and Psychopaths traces the path to the Thanksgiving Day Massacre: the troubled history within the Merhige family, Paul's long‑standing mental‑health struggles and disturbing threats, the horrific minutes inside the Sitton home, and the multi‑agency manhunt that ended with his capture at a motel in the Florida Keys. We then break down the court proceedings that led to seven consecutive life sentences, and the civil lawsuit that asked whether Paul's parents could—or should—have prevented the massacre.​​

Drawing on coverage from Investigation Discovery, ABC News, CBS News, and court and news records, this story examines how ignored warning signs, access to firearms, and holiday pressure can combine with deadly consequences.​​

Content warnings: Family annihilation, gun violence, murder of a child, pregnancy loss, mental‑health themes.​

Episode 111: "Crash, Control, and Consequence: The Mackenzie Shirilla Case"

On a warm summer night in Strongsville, Ohio, a car slammed into a brick wall at over 100 miles per hour. Two young men — Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan — died instantly. The driver? Mackenzie Shirilla, a 17-year-old girl who survived the crash.

What followed was a trial that gripped the internet: love, obsession, digital footprints, and a crash that prosecutors say was no accident. In this episode of Murder, Blood, and Psychopaths, we uncover how forensic data, toxic behavior, and one life-altering decision led to a murder conviction — and a life sentence.

Was this a tragic mistake… or a methodical act of vengeance?

Buckle up — this one will stay with you long after the episode ends.

Guest: Art Bowker, Cybercrime Expert & Author

In this chilling episode of Murder, Blood, and Psychopaths, we leave the crime scene and enter the cyber scene — where predators don't wear masks, they use usernames.

Host [Your Name] sits down with Art Bowker, a 40-year veteran in law enforcement and one of the nation's leading voices on cybercrime. From digital stalkers to online identity thieves, Bowker explains how today's most dangerous criminals hide in plain sight — behind screens, fake profiles, and unsecured Wi-Fi networks.

Together with coauthor Todd Shipley, Bowker has written Investigating Internet Crimes and the upcoming Surviving a Cyberattack (October 2024). In this episode, he shares real cases, tips to protect yourself and your family, and why "trust is the biggest vulnerability" in the digital world.

Whether you're a true crime addict or just someone scrolling on public Wi-Fi, this episode might change how you use the internet forever.

Link to send listeners to:

https://thecybersafetyguys.blog/

The website provides information on cyberattacks and how to get his and his coauthor's book, Surviving a Cyberattack Securing Social Media and Protecting Your Home, which is being published in October 2024. Surviving a Cyberattack covers methods for protecting against online cyberthreats, minimizing the harm, reporting the attack, and surviving the aftermath. It includes checklists and devotes chapters to protecting children, vulnerable adults, small businesses, online market places, and more.

🎙️ EPISODE 109 TITLE: The $1.3 Trillion Lie: Exposing the Myth of Credit Card Debt with Tommy Kilpatrick

💥 DESCRIPTION
In this explosive episode of Murder, Blood, and Psychopaths, we welcome Tommy Kilpatrick, author of Forgive and Forget: How to Nuke Your Credit Card Debt. Buckle up as Tommy delivers a shocking revelation: what you've been told about your bank-issued credit card debt may be completely false.

After racking up $85,000 in alleged credit card debt from a failed infomercial contract and no earnings to show for it, Tommy took matters into his own hands. Armed with knowledge from his CPA background and a fierce drive for justice, he sued three banks in federal court—and while no verdict came from a jury, all $85,000 of the debt disappeared from his credit report with no 1099-C. What happened? According to Kilpatrick: there was no real loan—because there was no promissory note.

Tommy breaks down what he claims is a trillion-dollar deception by the banks, revealing the mechanics behind alleged credit card debt, disguised debit cards, and misleading interest charges. He shares the exact steps your family could take—in just 45 days—to challenge this system and reclaim your financial freedom.

🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Why your "credit card" might legally be a checking account with no real debt

• How banks profit from gift-card-style lending and interest trickery

• What steps to take if you want to legally dispute your alleged debt

• The letter that could end harassment and clean your credit report

• The shocking connection between retirement funds and fake lending

💬 "Don't believe anything in this book—take it to your CPA and ask them to read the first chapter." – Tommy Kilpatrick

🔗 Call to Action:
👉 Visit: www.diy-debtrelief.com
Get Tommy's free eBook and schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

📘 Get the book: Forgive and Forget: How to Nuke Your Credit Card Debt
📲 Follow Tommy on Facebook: Tommy A Kilpatrick

🎧 This is not your average financial advice—it's radical, legal, and deeply personal. If you've ever felt buried in credit card debt, this episode could change your life.

Subscribe now, and share this with someone who needs to hear it. 🧨

Episode 108-Guest Holly Potter Crossing Over: What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life, Death, and Consciousness

Meet Holly Porter, a powerhouse of resilience, purpose, and radiant joy. In this extraordinary episode, Holly shares the deeply moving story of her 70-day battle with COVID-19, during which she experienced two profound Near-Death Experiences and multiple out-of-body awakenings while in a coma. What happened during those moments defies logic—and it changed everything.

Guided by what she describes as a divine calling, Holly emerged from the brink of death not only healed but transformed, launching a global mission of purpose and philanthropy. She is the founder of the Adventure Bucket Wish Foundation, supporting women to rise as resilient, purposeful leaders after adversity.

From leading 11 startups, publishing 15 international best-selling books, to becoming a wellness advocate, philanthropist, and international speaker, Holly's voice is a light for those walking through the darkness.

This is not just a conversation—it's a wake-up call to your soul. Holly reminds us that even when life knocks us down, we are never out of reach of a miracle.

🎁 Claim Holly's Free Gift:
💼 The Success Vault – Your one-stop life and business resource guide
👉 https://hollyporterinternational.com/

💖 Join the Mission:
🌍 Support & follow the Adventure Bucket Wish Foundation
📩 Sign up for updates, events, and the newsletter
👉 https://AdventureBucketWish.org

Episode Title: "One, Two, Three: The Murder of Skylar Neese"
Podcast Description:

On the surface, they were three inseparable teenage girls navigating high school in small-town West Virginia. But beneath the selfies and school hallways hid a dark secret that would end in unimaginable betrayal. On July 6, 2012, 16-year-old Skylar Neese climbed out of her bedroom window for what she believed was a late-night hangout with her best friends. She never came home.

In this haunting episode of True Crime Echoes, we dive into the chilling case of Skylar Neese—a straight-A student whose brutal murder at the hands of her closest friends stunned the nation. With court transcripts, confession details, and Skylar's own diary entries, we unpack how jealousy, secrecy, and peer pressure led to a premeditated stabbing in the woods of Brave, Pennsylvania.

We also explore the aftermath—from the viral tweets and cryptic social media posts to the courtroom drama and the lasting impact of Skylar's Law, which changed how missing teens are treated in West Virginia.

This is a story about trust shattered, innocence lost, and a community forever changed.

Episode Summary:
Step inside the infamous Cecil Hotel, where history and horror collide. In this episode of Vanished: Mysteries of the Missing and Unexplained, we unravel the chilling legacy of a Los Angeles landmark synonymous with tragedy, crime, and the unexplained. From its glamorous beginnings to its descent into darkness, the Cecil's story is a catalog of suicides, unsolved murders, and notorious residents—including serial killers Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger.

We revisit the mysterious death of Elisa Lam, whose eerie elevator footage and tragic end in a rooftop water tank captivated the world and fueled countless theories, both rational and supernatural. We also explore the unsolved murder of "Pigeon Goldie" Osgood, connections to the Black Dahlia, and the hotel's reputation for hauntings and paranormal activity.

Key Topics:

• The history and decline of the Cecil Hotel

• Documented suicides and unexplained deaths

• The unsolved murder of "Pigeon Goldie" Osgood

• Serial killers who called the Cecil home: Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger

• The Elisa Lam case: viral surveillance footage, unanswered questions, and theories

• Reports of hauntings, ghost sightings, and the hotel's supernatural lore

• The Cecil's transformation and enduring legacy

Why Listen:
If you're fascinated by true crime, haunted places, and the mysteries that refuse to be solved, this episode will keep you on the edge of your seat. The Cecil Hotel's legacy is a chilling reminder that some places hold onto their secrets—and their ghosts—forever.

Connect:
Have a theory, a story, or a question about the Cecil Hotel or another haunted location? Share it with us at vanishedpodcast.com.