In December 2019, JJ and Tylee Vallow went missing in Rexburg, Idaho; here is the story that follows as the case continues to unravel over time.
Tammy and Chad Daybell
Tammy and Chad were a married couple who founded a book company from which Chad published many of his books. They lived in Salem, Idaho; Chad was the author, and Tammy was a librarian.
Lori Ryan and Charles Vallow
Lori and Charles were married, Lori bringing her son Colby and daughter Tylee into the marriage with her. Then Charles and Lori adopted JJ into the family. Later 2019, there is footage of Charles pleading with his wife Lori to receive Mental health help. However, she dismissed it as community bridges cleared it. Charles then files for divorce from Lori, saying she claims herself as God preparing for the second coming of Christ.
Lori and Chad
Lori Ryan and Chad Daybell made their first appearance together a year before the disappearance of Lori’s daughter Tylee and adopted son JJ. The two appeared on the “Time to Warrior up” Podcast discussing preparation for the world’s end. The two met at a religious conference in St. George, Utah.
LEADING UP TO THE CRIME
-In July, Loris’s brother shoots and kills Charles, claiming self-defense.
-August Lori, her brother, and her children Tylee and JJ move to Rexburg, Idaho; Loris’s niece Melani follows them there.
-Chad and Lori have back and forth messaging, and their communication becomes increasingly often, all while Chad is still Married to Tammy.
–Lori takes Tylee, Alex, and JJ to Yellowstone National park. This is reportedly the last time anyone sees Tylee, Loris’s daughter, alive.
-Chad has Tammy’s life insurance increased to the maximum amount.
-Chad texts Tammy telling her he shot a raccoon and buried it in their pet cemetery.
-Lori unenrolls JJ from school, saying he would be homeschooled. Lori claimed her Tylee was attending BYU-Idaho.
-Lori rented a 10×10 storage unit in Rexburg, and she and a man were reported to visit nine times a month. The man is assumed to be Chad.
-Alex attempts to shoot and kill Tammy. However, she couldn’t identify him at the time and claimed it was a masked stranger.
-Ten days after she reported being shot at, Tammy died in her sleep, and it was ruled a natural cause. No autopsy was performed on the body.
-Two weeks following the death of his wife, Tammy, Chad marries Lori.
-Lori tells people that Tylee died years earlier when asked at the wedding.
-JJ’s grandparents requested that JJ, their grandson, be checked on, and upon police questioning, Lori claims JJ to be staying with Melanie Gibb in Idaho, a close friend of hers.
-It was later confirmed that JJ was not with the Gibbs.
-Melani Gibb admits Lori had her lie about JJ’s location.
-Alex (loris’s brother) dies from a blood clot.
-Following the Suspects
On Dec. 20, 2019, the Rexburg Police Department announced that JJ and Tylee were missing. Chad and Lori become “persons of interest.” FBI served a search warrant on Chad’s home in Salem investigators recovered 43 items, including computers, cell phones, journals, documents, and medications.
On Jan. 7, JJ and Tylee’s Grandparents announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the kids’ recovery. In Hawaii, Lori refuses to say where the children are when questioned by police. Police in Kauai arrest Lori on a warrant. She is charged with desertion and the non-support of dependent children. She is also charged with resisting or obstructing officers and willful disobedience of court process or order.
The Discovery:
On Jun. 9, 2019, the Rexburg Police Department searched Chad’s home. Investigators uncover human remains. Officials confirm the remains are JJ and Tylees’.
What happens
Jul. 15, Lori pleads not guilty to misdemeanor resisting or obstructing officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime, and contempt of court.
Audio found Lori saying she “was going to murder” her third husband, Joe Ryan. A psychologist deems Lori not fit for trial. Prosecutors drop the destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence charges against Chad and Lori.
On May 2, prosecutors say they will push for the death penalty against Lori. Lori and Chad’s trial will be held together in 2023.
Motives: She allegedly told a close friend that her children had become “zombies” and that she was on a religious mission with Chad “to rid the world of ‘zombies.”
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