Neighbor saw mysterious bonfires at Chad Daybell's property around when Lori Vallow's children went missing
SALEM, IDAHO: A day before authorities confirmed that the two sets of human remains they found at the property of Chad Daybell belonged to his wife Lori Vallow's two missing children, a neighbor who lives across the street has opened up about several large bonfires he had noticed following the children's disappearance at the same home.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported that Fremont County Sheriff's deputies, Rexburg Police officers, and FBI agents raided Daybell's Salem home on the 200 Block of 1900 East around 7 am on Tuesday, June 9, over an investigation into the disappearance of seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, who is autistic, and his 17-year-old sister, Tylee Ryan. The children were last seen in September 2019 - Tylee was last seen on September 8, during a visit to Yellowstone National Park, while her brother was last seen two weeks later, but only came to the attention of authorities in November after concerned family members reported that they had not seen them for months.
"We noticed they were having a few bonfires that were kind of out of the ordinary," Matthew Price told Salt Lake City’s KNXV-TV this week. "They had a big bonfire last fall, and they had two or three big bonfires this spring." He added that the bonfires were lit in the very same area of the property, from where the investigators dug and recovered two corpses. Before the police could verify the remains, the family confirmed that they are indeed Vallow’s missing kids.
"We are filled with unfathomable sadness that these two bright stars were stolen from us, and only hope that they died without pain or suffering," a statement by the children's grandparents Larry and Kay Woodcock, obtained by CBS News, read. "Once officially confirmed, statements from The Rexburg Police, The Medical Examiner, and the FBI will be released. We ask that you respect our family's privacy while we grieve — we have only just been told of the loss of our loved ones and need time to process."
Price said that apart from the bonfires, nothing much had changed when it came to interactions he had with the parents of the missing children, except a strange conversation with Daybell and his late wife, Tammy Daybell, last fall when they came over to his house to buy pumpkins.
"He was strange, he was different," Price,told the outlet. "He didn't talk a lot, didn't make eye contact with us very much. Normally he would." At the time Prince did not think much about the behavior as he thought Daybell might be having an off day.
Daybell was charged this week with two counts of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Oxygen. Daybell has not yet entered a plea to the charges. His bail was set at $1 million. Vallow was arrested in February and has since been unable to prove to the court that her children were ok. She has been charged with felony child abandonment, misdemeanor resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime, and contempt of court. Her current bail stands at $1 million.
Both are also being investigated for conspiracy, attempted murder, and murder in the death of Daybell's first wife who mysteriously died at their Salem home in October.