Lori Vallow: Idaho 'cult mom' found 'mentally unfit' before trial for killing her children
Lori Vallow, along with her husband Chad Daybell, was indicted earlier this week, on May 25, for killing her two missing children. Now, the latest reports reveal that Lori Vallow has been found incompetent to stand trial in separate court proceedings related to their deaths.
Lori Vallow, 47, was indicted with two felony counts of conspiracy to destroy, alter or conceal evidence after investigators said that they discovered the remains of 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan on her husband Chad Daybell's property in Fremont County, Idaho, in June 2020.
According to the last hearing on Thursday, May 27, the court has ruled her "mentally incompetent." The criminal proceedings will be put on hold for now.
RELATED ARTICLES
What is Lori Vallow's net worth? Cult mom cashed in dead kids’ Social Security benefits for months
On Thursday, May 27, an Idaho judge ruled that Lori Daybell née Vallow is incompetent to move forward with further court proceedings for those charges, based on a psychological assessment requested in March. "The completed assessment determined that at this time the defendant is not competent to proceed, and recommends restorative treatment," Judge Steven Boyce wrote in Thursday's court order.
Lori's husband, Chad, also appeared in the court earlier this week and is facing three counts each of first-degree murder, conspiring to commit murder, and grand theft by deception. He is also facing one additional murder charge for the alleged killing of his former wife, Tamara "Tammy" Daybell, in October 2019.
Lori and Chad Daybell first started adopted bizarre apocalyptic beliefs in 2018 when they were both married to other people. Lori's ex-husband, Charles Vallow, sought a divorce in 2019, telling the court that Lori believed she was a God-like figure who was supposed to guide people in the end times.
But Lori's brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed Charles Vallow in the summer of 2019, claiming self-defense. Cox died several months later due to a blood clot in his lungs. Following Charles Vallow's death, Lori Daybell moved to Idaho with two of her children, 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan.
Chad Daybell's then-wife, Tamara "Tammy" Daybell, 49, died in October 2019 due to "natural causes," but authorities were suspicious when he married Lori just two weeks after her death. In November 2019, police started searching for Lori's two children after the extended family became alarmed about their whereabouts. Investigators said that Lori and Chad Daybell lied to investigators and showed up in Hawaii months later without the children.
It is not clear exactly what will happen to Lori Vallow next. Someone who is deemed unfit to stand trial in Idaho typically undergoes a treatment that could last years or decades before they regain competency.