After a nearly seven-week trial, an Idaho jury has returned a guilty verdict against a mother charged with killing her two children in 2019. The jury convicted Lori Vallow Daybell, 49, of murdering her 16-year-old daughter, Tylee Ryan, and 7-year-old son, Joshua J.J. Vallow. The verdict came just ahead of Mother's Day, after weeks of damning testimony from family and friends of Vallow Daybell, who believe she was influenced heavily by religious convictions and her husband, Chad Daybell.
Vallow Daybell's oldest son, Colby Ryan, testified that his mother spent her life protecting her children until she met Daybell, and that is when it all changed, People reported. Now, the convicted murderer sits in an Idaho jail where she awaits extradition to Arizona on additional charges. The case has captivated the nation, even inspiring the Netflix documentary series Sins of Our Mother.
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The case has a curious timeline.
The string of tragic events began on July 11, 2019, when the mother's estranged husband, Charles Vallow, was shot by her brother, Alex Cox, who claimed self-defense. He was not charged. The last known photo of Tylee was taken September 8, 2019, on a day trip to Yellowstone National Park with Vallow and her brother, People reported.
Less than three weeks later, on September 23, J.J. was last seen at the Laurens Institute for Education in Gilbert, Arizona. His mother withdrew him from school, citing an interest in homeschooling. On October 19, Daybell reported his wife, Tammy Daybell, was dead after she went to bed with a cough and died in her sleep. The death was initially deemed natural.
A short time after the death of their spouses, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell married in Kaua'i, Hawaii, on November 5, 2019. Her children had not been seen or heard from in two months.
In November 2019, Vallow Daybell and her husband took off.
According to People, on November 26, 2019, J.J.'s grandparents, Kay, and Larry Woodcock, reported the children missing. After police in Rexburg, Idaho, performed a welfare check, they realized the children had been missing since September. The next day, the couple "abruptly" left their home, at which time police said they believed the children's lives were in danger, and Vallow Daybell refused to cooperate.
On January 25, 2020, the pair were discovered in Kaua'i, but there was no evidence Tylee or J.J. had ever been there. Vallow Daybell received a court order to turn over the children, but they never appeared, People reported. She was arrested on February 20, 2020, and charged with two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children. Additional charges included resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. Her bond was set at $5 million.
While Vallow Daybell sat in jail, investigators found her children's remains.
Chad Daybell insisted the children were safe but could never prove they were alive. The investigation continued, and the children's badly decomposed bodies were found on Chad Daybell's property in Idaho, on June 9, 2020, People reported. Rexburg police detective Ray Hermosillo testified at the trial and said they found globs of burned flesh and bone in a green bucket on the property.
"We eventually uncovered bits and pieces of Tylee — whom we assumed it was Tylee — that had been burned. There were pieces of bone, charred flesh, just globs of flesh that were falling apart," he said. Portions of J.J.'s body were found in a buried trash bag. The next day, Chad Daybell was arrested.
Vallow Daybell and her husband reportedly shared unusual beliefs surrounding 'doomsday.'
The couple were obsessed with "end times" and were religious figures in the Church of the Firstborn and could rate others and measure their dark energy, the East Idaho News reported during the trial.
Because of this, the prosecution argued Vallow Daybell used "'casting' that involved prayer and energy work," the news outlet reported. "Often this casting didn't work and the beliefs evolved to zombies. A common theme was the body had to be destroyed."
The mother reportedly believed that her children were zombies. Melanie Gibb, Vallow Daybell's friend, testified in court that Vallow Daybell reportedly said Tylee and J.J. needed to die.
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Vallow Daybell faces life in prison.
On May 12, 2023, she was convicted on multiple counts in connection with her children's deaths. In addition to two counts of murder, she was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of the children and in the death of her husband's first wife, Tammy Daybell. She also was found guilty of theft charges for stealing Social Security payments issued to the children, WWAY reported.
Vallow Daybell's sentencing should occur in three months. She could face life in prison. Vallow Daybell faces separate charges in the death of her husband, Charles Vallow, in Arizona. WWAY reported that extradition proceedings from Idaho will begin soon but could take several months.
Chad Daybell is being tried separately and could face the death penalty.
"Even the defense, I shook their hands. I have said many times, I want a fair, honest and righteous decision," Larry Woodcock said, according to WWAY. "I think we had 18 jurors that all deserve our appreciation, our love, and they gave an honest, fair and righteous verdict."
