The son of a former circus clown turned grocer and a cleaning woman, Red Skelton was introduced to show business at the age of seven by Ed Wynn, at a vaudeville show in Vincennes. At age 10, he left home to travel with a medicine show through the Midwest, and joined the vaudeville circuit at age 15. At age 18, he married Edna Marie...

Richard Bernard Skelton ( – ) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program The Red Skelton Show.

Michigan State Police say that while the Memphis discovery has drawn renewed attention to the Skelton brothers case, investigators do not believe the two are connected.

Skelton has repeatedly refused to reveal what happened to his sons or their whereabouts, presumably to avoid upgraded charges stemming from their deaths. In November 2025—mere weeks before his release from prison—Lenawee County prosecutors charged Skelton with his missing sons’ murders.

John Skelton Murder Charges Hit 10 Years After Sons Missing - A&E

John Skelton Appears in Court to Face Murder Charges Over the Deaths of ...

John Skelton has been charged with murder, but his three sons still have never been found. Tanner, Alexander, and Andrew Skelton were declared dead earlier this year, even as the mystery of...