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[video]http://cnn.com/video/?/video/crime/2010/11/28/boys.missing.suicide.cnn[/video]
Michigan authorities asked the public Sunday for help in locating three young boys missing for several days.
"We need calls. We need tips. Anything that's out there, no matter how incredible you may think it is, call. Let us know," said Andy Arena, a special agent with the FBI.
The boys' father, John Skelton, told police he dropped the boys off Friday morning with a woman he identified as Joann Taylor, in part to ensure they didn't see him during and after he tried to commit suicide.
Skelton survived the attempt and is being cared for in a mental health facility.
He told police Taylor, whom he allegedly met on the internet, was supposed to take the boys to their home in Morenci, a southern Michigan town of about 2,400 people about 40 miles west-northwest of Toledo, Ohio, around 3 p.m. Friday.
But the boys -- 5-year-old Tanner Skelton, 7-year-old Alexander William Skelton and 9-year-old Andrew Skelton -- never arrived and police aren't sure whether John Skelton's story is true. They say they don't know whether Taylor is real.
"We continue to search to verify whether or not this woman exists. At this point, no information has been collected to lead us to this person," said Larry Weeks, police chief of Morenci.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert on Friday. The last nonfamily member saw the boys at 5 p.m. on Thursday, according to the chief.
The alert notes that Tanner is 3 feet, 6 inches tall, has strawberry blond hair, blue eyes and weighs about 40 pounds. Alexander is 3 feet, 9 inches tall, has brown hair and eyes, weighs about 45 pounds and has scars on his hairline and chin. The oldest brother, Andrew, is 4 feet, 1 inch tall, has brown hair and eyes and weighs roughly 57 pounds.
Kathye Herrera, a family spokeswoman, spoke to reporters Sunday, thanking neighbors who have searched for the boys and prayed for their safe return.
"We've got three great little boys out there, and we're going to get them back," she said.
