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Lori Vallow's friend Melanie Gibb and her BF were 'eagerly' involved in crime, says attorney as trial nears

Tylee Ryan, 16, and her 7-year-old brother JJ Vallow, who were last seen alive in September 2019, were found buried in the backyard of Vallow’s husband Chad Daybell's residence in June

Lori Vallow's attorney has reportedly suggested in a social media post that his client's good friend and the friend's boyfriend may have played a role in the disappearance and death of Vallow's two children. "As I prepare the defense for Lori (Vallow) Daybell... I am learning that persons like Melanie Gibbs and her boyfriend David Warwick appear to have been eagerly “involved” in more than they let on... if you know something... Say something!" he tweeted. "The defense lacks the resources of the prosecution (State of Idaho, Attorney General of Idaho, FBI, chandler police, Madison county sheriff department, Fremont county sheriff department, Rexburg police, etc) We need the persons of knowledge to come forward!"

Tylee Ryan, 16, and her younger brother JJ Vallow, 7, who were last seen alive in September 2019, were found buried in the backyard of Vallow’s husband Chad Daybell's residence in June. According to CrimeOnline, Vallow had already been arrested and was being held in Madison County on child desertion charges when investigators discovered the bodies.

Daybell was arrested the same day the children were found. He is currently being held in a Fremont County jail on charges of concealing evidence and conspiracy to conceal evidence. Prosecutors dropped desertion charges against Vallow after her children were found, and she now faces charges of conspiracy to conceal evidence. That said, neither Vallow now Daybell has been charged with murder.

Vallow's close pal Melanie Gibb and her boyfriend David Warwick were among the last people to see JJ Vallow alive when they visited Vallow in Rexburg, Idaho, in September 2019, CrimeOnline previously reported. Tylee was missing and likely dead by that time, but Gibb told East Idaho News in an interview that Vallow had told her the 16-year-old had graduated from high school early and was already attending Brigham Young University in Idaho. Gibb also revealed how she, Vallow, and Daybell even visited the campus, but allegedly didn't mention Tylee during their visit.

Neither Tylee nor JJ were reported missing until late November 2019, when police performed a wellness check at Vallow’s home at the request of a concerned relative. At the time, Vallow reportedly told them that JJ was staying with Gibb in Arizona.

In August, MEAWW reported how Vallow had played the victim when officers had showed up at the family's home to inquire about her children. Lori told officers, "I look like a suspect, but I’m a good person." She reportedly said, "It's a lot of stuff. It’s very weird. I had to move around a lot. One of my brothers was trying to kill me. I feel like I’m being tracked all the time. I know people are looking for me. I just don’t want to be found." 

That same month, Gibb provided testimony at Daybel's preliminary hearing admitting that she had initially lied to Arizona police when she told them JJ had been visiting her and was on his way back to Rexburg. She reportedly contacted Rexburg police about a week later and confessed that she didn't know where JJ was and that Vallow and Daybell had asked her to lie to the authorities. “I was very perplexed, very troubled, and I did not know what to do,” Gibb told the court.

Vallow's lawyer Mark Means shared a cryptic message on Twitter Wednesday, appearing to suggest that both Gibb and her boyfriend were involved in the crime and solicited help from anyone who may have related information.

East Idaho News reporter Nate Eaton later responded to Means' post saying he had spoken to Gibb about the accusation, and that she said: "Truth will prevail."

Vallow's case is set to go into trial in April 2021, while Daybell will be tried in January, per the report.