Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell: Doomsday cult mom and husband indicted in murder of her 2 children and his ex-wife
ST ANTHONY, IDAHO: Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, the mother and stepfather of two children — Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan — were indicted on first-degree murder charges in the children's deaths on May 25.
The children were last seen in September 2019. Joshua and Tylee were 7 and 16 at the time of their disappearance. Daybell was also put on trial on the charge of first-degree murder of his ex-wife Tammy Daybell. Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Wood announced the news during a conference on May 25, which also happened to be Joshua's birthday.
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Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake said in a statement, "Local, state and federal law enforcement professionals and local and state prosecutors have worked tirelessly for nearly a year and a half to gather the facts and evidence necessary to bring forward charges on behalf of Tylee, JJ and Tammy." The statement added, "Due to the ongoing safety restrictions imposed by the courts during the pandemic, we just recently were given permission to present information to the Grand Jury for their review. They deliberated and determined there is probable cause to believe that the Daybells willfully and knowingly conspired to commit several crimes that led to the death of three innocent people."
Tylee was last seen on September 8, 2019. Police found photo evidence that Tylee was on a trip with Vallow, Vallow's brother Alex Cox and Joshua to Yellowstone National Park on that day. Joshua, then 7, had special needs, and he was last seen alive on September 23, 2019, at Kennedy Elementary School in Rexburg. When police scoured Vallow's house, conducting a welfare check on being prompted by his grandmother in November 2019, Joshua was not found anywhere. That was when the authorities began a search for the children.
Vallow and Daybell never reported the children missing
Rexburg police said that neither Vallow nor Daybell reported the children missing. They refused to cooperate with investigators before fleeing the state. The couple was found in Hawaii in January 2020. Authorities gave Vallow an ultimatum to 'physically present her children' until the end of the month. She did not and was subsequently charged with two counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children.
Daybell was taken into custody in June 2020 after the police found the remains of Vallow’s children on his property. Vallow is also being investigated in the death of her husband's ex-wife, Tammy Daybell. Tammy, 49, was found dead in her home in October. Her death was initially ruled as natural but later classified as suspicious.
Who are Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow?
Daybell is a self-published author who has written over two dozen books about near-death and doomsday events. Daybell and Vallow got married just weeks after Tammy's death. Vallow's fourth husband, Charles Vallow, was allegedly shot dead in July 2019 by Vallow's brother Alex Cox during a confrontation. Vallow and Cox were questioned by police in the case but were not charged. Cox died in December.
Charles had claimed in documents during the divorce battle that his wife believed "she was reincarnated and was a god sent to lead people during the second coming of Christ in July 2020". According to Charles, she also told him that if he got in her way, she would kill him.
Vallow's third husband and Tylee's father Joseph Ryan had also expressed 'serious concerns' in court documents during the divorce and custody battle. The documents stated that Vallow was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after she allegedly told social workers that “death would be an option before giving Tylee to her father, Joseph Ryan, even for a visit”. Ryan died of an apparent heart attack in 2018.
Vallow and Daybell's attorneys did not return a request for comment at the new development.