‘She said he was out of control’: Lori Vallow's friend David Warwick reveals details about when he last saw JJ alive
BOISE, IDAHO: Lori Vallow’s friend David Warwick, who once recorded a religious podcast with the ‘Doomsday cult mom’, appeared on her trial on Thursday, April 20, and testified about one of the last times her murdered son JJ Vallow was seen alive. Warwick was reportedly staying at Vallow’s Idaho home on September 23, 2019, when the latter told him that JJ was getting “out of control” and “knocked over a picture of Christ” while having “an episode,” the Daily Mail reported.
Warwick said he was in a relationship with his now-wife, Vallow’s friend Melanie Gibb, at the time, and the couple spent the weekend of September 20 with Vallow, her brother Alex Cox and Chad Daybell. He said that JJ was present at the house for much of the weekend but could not be seen when Warwick and Gibb left Vallow’s home on Sunday morning. Warwick noted that he did not see any damages that Vallow claimed JJ caused at their house. He also recalled that JJ spent part of the previous evening with Cox, who brought the young boy home later that night. The moment is now considered to be one of the last sightings of JJ.
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‘She could not control him’
Warwick took the stands during Lori Vallow’s trial and spoke about the final moments of the latter’s son JJ, when he was last seen alive in September 2019. “We went downstairs to say goodbye and Lori was there and she just said that JJ had an episode,” the man recalled. “She said he was out of control and she could not control him and so she had Alex come get him… She said that he climbed the cabinets and the fridge and the upper cabinets and pushed over her picture of Christ,” he added, noting Vallow’s account of her son.
Despite Vallow’s claims, Warwick said he did not witness any signs of the alleged damage caused by JJ. He also recalled the last time when JJ was seen with his uncle the night before. “JJ was asleep and his head was on [Cox's] shoulder. Alex carried him in the house. He took him upstairs and put him in bed,” Warwick mentioned. While Warwick recorded a podcast with Vallow during his stay at her home and got an insight on her and Daybell’s bizarre religious beliefs, he told the court that at the time he “didn’t see any reason to suspect” the couple. He also mentioned that Vallow appeared to be “one of the most sweetest, kindest, fun-loving people.” Warwick added he also noticed a scratch on Daybell’s neck, which Vallow claimed he got during a “scuffle” with JJ.
On November 26, 2019, police conducted a welfare check on Vallow’s townhouse at the request of JJ’s grandmother, Kay Woodcock. At the time, Vallow told police that her son was with Melanie Gibb. As authorities contacted Gibb she said JJ was not with her and had not been for several months. A week later she also informed officials that Vallow and Daybell asked her to lie to the police about JJ’s whereabouts but she refused. Further efforts led to the discovery that JJ’s adoptive sister Tylee Ryan was also missing alongside the young boy.
On June 9, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Daybell’s home and discovered human remains buried in a purported pet cemetery. The following day, JJ and Tylee’s biological families confirmed that the human remains found on Daybell’s property were those of the missing children. In May 2021, Daybell and Vallow were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception for the deaths of JJ, Tylee, and the former’s ex-wife, Tammy.
David Warwick’s testimony provided further insight into Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell’s beliefs
During his testimony, Warwick also provided an insight into Vallow and Daybell’s bizarre beliefs. He said Daybell claimed he and Vallow would be gathering 144,000 people and leading them to the end of times. “He was trying to teach me about some of their beliefs about the 144,000 and Satan having powers to push people out of their bodies and then their spirits being stuck,” Warwick recalled.
“I just said if the Lord is gathering his 144,000, I believe that would happen through his prophet and as far as Satan having power to push people out of their bodies, I said we're taught differently on that. He doesn't have that sort of power,” he added. “He was kind of saying I was one of them and that's why he wanted me up there and I said that would be a call from God and through his prophet,” Warwick remembered. Warwick revealed he was not disturbed by Daybell and Vallow’s beliefs because “what they are teaching doesn't match what I see in their character… I was confused and puzzled.”
The man also recalled talking to Daybell about the latter’s then-wife Tammy. “I asked him how his marriage was with Tammy and if she was a good wife and he said he had no complaints and she was a good wife. He said her time was coming up and him and Lori were going to do things they committed to do for God.” Daybell reportedly told Warwick that he dreamt “Tammy was going to pass away by the time she was 50.” The latter died on October 19, 2019, nearly six months before her 50th birthday. Daybell claimed she went to bed with a cough and did not wake up. Amid the investigation surrounding JJ and Tylee’s disappearance, Tammy’s body was exhumed and it was revealed that she died of asphyxiation.