Chad Daybell, Lori Vallow can be charged with murder in deaths of 2 kids as gravesite presents 'enough evidence'
While neither Lori Vallow nor Chad Daybell has been charged with murder in the deaths of the former's two children, investigators and prosecutors will likely have more than enough evidence to prove they were responsible, a forensic expert has revealed. Seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan were last seen in September 2019 but were only reported missing two months later when concerned relatives told the authorities they were worried because they had not seen the children for some time.
Vallow and Daybell, who tied the knot after the children went missing, went on the run after an investigation into the case was opened, sparking further suspicion that they were somehow involved in the disappearance. Reports also indicated that the couple was involved in a doomsday cult -- Daybell wrote several books revolving around the end of the world -- and it was suggested that they had killed the children for some ritual.
Vallow was arrested in Hawaii in February while Daybell remained free for another three months. In June, Fremont County Sheriff's deputies, Rexburg Police officers, and FBI agents raided his Salem, Idaho, home on the 200 Block of 1900 East and dug up his backyard. They found human remains that were later confirmed belonging to Joshua and Tylee.
Daybell was subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence, and at an in-person hearing at the Fremont County courthouse last week, Rexburg Police Detective Ray Hermosillo had recalled the moment they discovered the bodies.
He said Joshua's body was wrapped tightly in multiple layers of plastic and duct tape. He also said the young boy was wearing red pajamas and socks, and that his hands had been bound in front of his body, wrapped in multiple layers of duct tape. He also revealed they found a melted green bucket that had body parts with burned flesh and a partial human skull under the body parts.
Speaking to MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), DNA forensic expert Jennifer Shen said that this gravesite evidence will be "very important" in linking Daybell and Vallow to the murders of the children. "The more evidence found on and around the gravesite, the better chance crime lab personnel can connect Chad or Lori to the acts of killing, burying, or destroying the children’s bodies," she explained. "The discovery of duct tape, two kinds of plastic bags, and the bucket are all opportunities to connect Chad Daybell specifically to the site through evidence found on or around the bodies."
"Plastic bags can be processed for DNA and fingerprints and compared to bags found in his home/garage," she continued. "Duct tape can also be processed for prints and DNA, as well as compared to rolls found in the defendant’s possession. In some instances, the ends of the duct tape can be physically matched back to a specific roll, proving that it originated from that roll. The bucket provides similar opportunities to search for DNA and fingerprints."
Vallow, like her husband, has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence but is also facing two felony counts of desertion and non-support of dependent children, as well as resisting or obstructing officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime, and contempt of court.
Shen said that neither was arrested on murder charges initially because the prosecution must charge to a level that can be proven, both to the judge issuing the warrant and to the future jury. However, with the evidence against them amounting, it shouldn't be too difficult to prove they didn't just dispose of the bodies but killed Joshua and Tylee as well.
"So far, the only evidence we’ve seen are the bodies of Lori’s children buried on Chad’s property," the forensic expert said. "The prosecution must now connect him to the actual acts of killing the children. They will use forensic evidence, text messages and statements, among other things, to prove he was involved with destruction of evidence (the bodies). Evidence that he was actually involved in causing their deaths is the next step necessary to charge him with murder."
"The prosecution already has significant evidence of Chad and Lori lying about the children, their whereabouts, and their relationship. Combine that with additional forensic evidence to include information from the gravesite, along with digital forensic information in the form of text messages, emails, cell phone data, and internet searches, and the prosecution will have a compelling story to tell a jury about how these children met their tragic end."