While Daybell could face the death penalty, the judge ruled Vallow Daybell would not face capital punishment if convicted in the deaths of the children. JJs biological grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock JJs father is their son, and Kay is Charles Vallows sister became concerned when they were unable to speak with the boy on the phone. It's the last moments of the children's lives that keeps Echo up at night. Margaret Travillion: I just get so angry. He was getting physical with her. First published on October 3, 2020 / 11:09 PM. Heartbroken dad issues warning after son, 13, dies in TikTok challenge, Red flag after possible suspect in missing brothers case made eerie request, Two dead and four injured after 19-year-old 'opens fire at prom after party', $80k reward offered for shooting suspect Francisco Oropesa after five killed, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, She was the biological mom of JJ Vallow (right, with sister Tylee Ryan), She lost custody of JJ after he was born addicted to drugs, Mandy and JJ's biological father Todd Trahan (left) suffered from addiction issues, He was fostered by his grandparents Kay and Larry Woodcock, JJ Vallow is believed to have been killed by Lori Vallow (left) and her fifth husband Chad Daybell, Kay's brother Charles Vallow (above with JJ) adopted JJ with Lori to raise him as their own, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan's uncle Alex Cox (right) is believed to have been involved in their murders, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell fled to Hawaii after the children disappeared and got married, Leger's death came almost exactly two years after JJ's remains were found, Lori is facing life behind bars after a judge took the death penalty off the table. JJs father, Charles Vallow, is actually Woodcocks brother: He adopted JJ as a baby because JJs biological parents including Woodcocks son were unable to care for the child. She ignored it and was arrested on the island of Kauai on child abandonment charges. With Lori now in jail, Chad Daybell returned home. to that big life insurance payout Kay Woodcock got from Charles Vallow. Jonathan Vigliotti: What did you think when you read that email? Morgan Loew: A second team of investigators were searching a different part of the yard. "Part of her mission on Earth was to eliminate the darkness, the demonic the evil," Raymond said. "She threatened me, murder me, kill me," he told police in a conversation captured on video, "48 Hours" reported. First published on April 10, 2023 / 10:41 AM. Trahans DNA was compared to JJs, while Lori Vallow Daybells DNA was compared to that of Tylee Ryan. Chad Daybell is also charged in the triple murder case. Then he goes back to his apartment, and then, after 9 in the morning, his cell phone appears in Chad Daybell's backyard. Jonathan Vigliotti: What went on in your mind when, weeks after Tammy died, Chad and Lori get married? Morgan Loew: He goes into the house. In 2012, the two adopted then 2-year-old Joshua, whose biological father was Vallow's nephew the son of his sister, Kay Woodcock. The 49-year-old is charged with the murders of her children Joshua JJ Vallow, seven, and Tylee Ryan, 16, and conspiracy to So in a way, they were their equal match, in that they were destructive to each other. April 28, 2023, at 6:10 p.m. A Look at Who's Who in the Murder Trial of Slain Kids' Mom. Court documents later showed that Joshuas remains had been buried in a pet cemetery and that Tylee had been dismembered and burned in a fire pit. 2. 'Cause I didn't want to. Lori Vallow Daybell is on trial in Boise, Idaho, for her alleged role in the deaths of her 16-year-old daughter, Tylee Ryan; her 7-year-old adopted son, Joshua "JJ" Vallow; and her husband's first wife, Tammy Daybell. The sister of Tammy Daybell, who was killed in what ROB WOOD: After (unintelligible) these phone calls, how did that make you feel? After almost 13 years of marriage, Charles Vallow filed for divorce. Bordeaux had already spoken with authorities about Lori Vallow, alleging that a vehicle she had access to was involved in an attempt to kill him in October 2019, according to a probable cause affidavit filed against Lori Vallow in 2020, before the childrens remains were found. Cult mom Lori Vallow is currently on trial in a case that has shocked the nation with its bizarre doomsday cult ties and the tragic deaths of almost everyone close to ", Margaret Travillion [reading aloud] "If you're working or playing or sitting with friends you can [cries] dance til you're dizzy." Despite all of Lori's talk about demons inhabiting Charles's body, Morgan Loew says her motive may have been more mundane: money. Here are all the key people involved , Idaho murder suspect's former school district wont talk. Charles Vallow was killed in 2019, shot in an altercation with Vallow Daybell's brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona, where the Vallow family including JJ and Tylee and Cox were living at the time. Kay Woodcock testified the first week of Loris trial that her son and his girlfriend gave JJ up when they were unable to care for him. The boy's body was found bound in tape and plastic bags. Because so many people were affected. POLICE OFFICER [Bodycam video]: How long have you lived here? A second suggested that her sudden death at the age of 46 was likely a direct cause of all the anguish and stress she endured losing JJ. and I really love JJ. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. And then Police tracked his cell phone to Lori's apartment at 2:45 in the morning on September 9th. It is horrifying! JJs biological father is Dennis Trahan, who is Kay Woodcocks son. But he was never formally charged with a crime because the 51-year-old died from a blood clot in December 2019. Charles Vallow, who is the adopted father and biological granduncle of Joshua, filed for divorce from Lori Vallow in February 2019, court records from Maricopa I can't conceive of a scenario where she wasn't involved. Morgan Loew: Somehow, in 17 minutes, there was a grave dug and filled in. JJs father, Charles Vallow, is actually Woodcocks brother: He adopted JJ as a baby because JJs biological parents including Woodcocks son were unable to care All rights reserved. Morgan Loew: Because of the condition of of Tylee's remains, it's hard to tell what happened to her. Investigators later exhumed her body and conducted an autopsy, which ruled her death was a homicide. His birth name was legally changed to Joshua Jaxon Vallow during the adoption process. He also sent an email to Tammy Daybell, police said, that said he had disturbing information about their respective spouses and urged her to contact him. One of those close friends was April Raymond. That includes JJ Vallows biological grandmother, Kay Woodcock Loris other son, Colby Ryan and Loris sister, Summer Shiflet. Chad Daybell also faces criminal charges in the deaths of Tylee and Joshua, as well as in the death of his late wife, Tammy Daybell. JJs father, Charles Vallow, is actually Woodcocks brother: He adopted JJ as a baby because JJs biological parents including Woodcocks son were unable to care for the child. Some believe Chad Daybell was the driving force; others believe it was Lori. For Mandy, the news of her son's horrific death cut just as deeply. The occasional money transfers continued too, though through a different phone app under his mothers name, he said. We could only dig for a couple of minutes. He was adopted by her third husband. He was last seen on Sept. 23, 2019, at Kennedy Elementary School in Rexburg, according to KPVI. DAVID WARWICK: I asked to see him, and she just said that he was out of control, so she had Alex come and get him . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. On January 31, 2019, Charles Vallow is seen on police bodycam video tell officers his wife had become "unhinged," and had threatened to murder him. We started to uncover just burnt flesh, charred bone, the smell was again of a decomposing body," added the detective of Tylee's remains, which had been dismembered and dispersed around the ground. Vallow Daybell is currently on trial at the Ada County Courthouse. JJ's biological father. ALEX COX [bodycam]: She came out to defend my sister with her bat. According to a probable cause affidavit filed against Daybell, Gibb told authorities she had visited the couple at their home between Sept. 19, 2019, and Sept. 23, 2019. Somebody else must have helped with that. An undated photo shows Lori Vallow. "Chad Daybell was a gravedigger for a profession when he was younger. And just let them know that I love them, and I've never met anyone like them. Vaisia Itaaehau: She took beautiful pictures, so we would just go to the beach and just take pictures and kind of capture certain moments She was just so clever and always just like really quick comebacks, like so witty. LORI VALLOW: I don't know why you're being controversial to me or if you're recording this conversation for the police or whatever. Margaret Travillion | LIFE co-founder: I just started crying [cries]. She told jurors that JJ was born with some disabilities and was diagnosed with autism. MELANIE GIBB: I appreciate those words, but if you really love me, you wouldn't have told the police that I had JJ with me. Please enter valid email address to continue. Charles Vallow filed for divorce, contending in court papers that Vallow Daybell also believed herself to be a deity tasked with helping to usher in the Biblical apocalypse. Soon his secret was out. Joshua Jaxon JJ Vallow was the adopted son of Charles and Lori Daybell. Chad Daybell was a grave digger for a profession when he was younger. Over time, the pair apparently became convinced that JJ, Tylee, and Tammy had all been possessed by dark spirits, and the only way to rid them of their "demons" was to kill them. He's perfectly fine. CHARLES VALLOW: Yes. Gibb testified that she later heard from Vallow, who repeated the story she had told police about Joshuas being with Gibb. And finally. Vallow Daybell is accused along with her husband, Chad Daybell, of murder in connection with the deaths of Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, who was last I can only say it didn't feel right. At 11:53 a.m., after Alex Cox left the backyard, Chad Daybell wrote a text to his wife Tammy who wasn't home explaining why there was a new grave in the pet cemetery. / CBS News. He also said they were both empty nesters, with no young kids at home, Gwilliam told the jury. Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens. April Raymond: I feel like whatever story we were given about how Charles was killed was not the truth. Charles Vallow, meanwhile, had been shot dead by Alex Cox in July 2019. Lori Vallow-Daybell and JJ Vallow at Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019. Melanie Gibb and her boyfriend David Warwick, both of whom testified at Daybell's hearing, were staying with Lori in Rexburg the last weekend of JJ's life. April Raymond: I feel like they were a liability. This is Chad Daybell's backyard. CHARLES VALLOW [to Officer Dorenbush]: She's psychologically, she's gone. Charles Vallow emailed Tammy Daybell less than a month before he was killed, informing her about an affair between Chad and Lori. Police called that friend in Arizona, Melanie Gibb, to verify Lori's story, but she did not respond to their call. Gibb said they believed they were casting out dark spirits who were possessing people. Their souls had left them. I didn't hold it together at all. He was last seen sleeping in the arms of his uncle, Lori's brotherAlex Cox, in Idaho on September 22. Soon after they started digging, he said he was struck by a "strong odor" that he instantly recognized to be caused by bodily decomposition. At one stage, shefled to Hawaiiwith Daybell to get married and there was no sign of either of her children at the ceremony. While not yet scheduled, his lawyers initially asked for it to be pushed back to the fall of 2023. Joseph Joe Ryan was the third husband of Lori Daybell. Maybe you should understand, Ryan continued, before his mother interrupted: I didnt. Already a Cox Residential customer? It was then that they realized his sister Tylee was also missing. "48 Hours" reached out to Chad and Lori's attorneys to ask whether their clients had some involvement in the children's deaths. investigative reporter Morgan Loew asks Lori Vallow Daybell on March 5, 2020, as she was extradited from Hawaii to Rexburg, Idaho, to face child abandonment charges. Prosecutors have alleged that the couple planned to kill Tylee and steal the Social Security benefits she was receiving because her father had died. Colby Ryan, who is Vallows son from a previous relationship, said in 2020 that his stepfather Joseph Ryan physically and sexually abused him. Yeah. He said in the 911 call that he "got in a fight with my brother-in-law and I shot him." 233. Margaret Travillion: And just that growth of watching him come out of himself was just wonderful. And we got nothing for me to raise JJ. IE 11 is not supported. Alex told them Charles and Lori got into a fight. Melani Pawlowski is the niece of Vallow Daybell. When the seven-year-old - who was autistic - wasreported missingby Kay Woodcock in November 2019, weeks after he was last seen alive, Mandy was seeking advice on how she could get JJ back. Kay Woodcock testified the first week of Loris trial that her son and his girlfriend gave JJ up LORI VALLOW: We're OK. How are you doing, babe? Morgan Loew: That night, we know Alex was in his own apartment. DET. She is the biological mother of Tylee Ryan, 16, and the adoptive mother of Joshua Vallow, 7, who were reported missing in November 2019. They tied yellow ribbons around the trees and waited for his return. Authorities said they believe Loris brother, Alex Cox who died from natural causes also conspired to kill JJ, Tylee and Tammy Daybell, according to the indictment filed by prosecution teams from Madison and Fremont counties. Then came the news that he was never coming back. Cox claimed self-defense and died that December by causes deemed to be natural. Especially Tylee was a liability for what she knew. She also testified against Daybell at a preliminary hearing in August 2020. And the children who embraced the light. You can listen to each day's testimony, which the court releases at the end of each day, onCBS News' YouTube channel. By this time, investigators believe JJ was already dead. Soon after the newlyweds returned to Rexburg from Hawaii, JJ's grandmother, Kay Woodcock, sounded the alarm. and It was just the beginning. Zombies are described in the court documents as human bodies that have had their original spirits forced from them and have been possessed by a demon, a disembodied spirit or a worm or slug. An aerial view of Todd Daybell's backyard, where the remains of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan were found in June. So, shook up, she called Lori and Chad 12 days later and secretly recorded it. And she was like, "Margaret, you're not gonna believe this. Vaisia Itaaehau: I loved being around JJ and Tylee. CHARLES VALLOW: She threatened me, murder me, kill me. Tammy Daybell was initially described as having died in her sleep of natural causes. But an autopsy showed she was asphyxiated to death, Prosecutor Lindsey Blake told jurors earlier this month. WebThey later adopted Joshua Jaxon JJ Vallow. Lori Vallow and Cox were questioned at the time but werent charged, as they claimed self-defense. Prosecutors allege that Lori and Chad conspired with Alex Cox to murder the trio as part of their bizarre and fanatical doomsday beliefs. At 9:55 a.m. on September 23, 2019, Cox returned to Chad Daybell's backyard. Instead of helping search, they skipped off to another vacation back in Hawaii. Charles and Lori Vallow were married in 2006 and although legally still married were estranged by 2019, when divorce papers were filed. She was extradited to Idaho. And that Tylee knew the truth. The two were estranged but still married when Vallow Daybells brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed Charles Vallow outside his Phoenix suburban home. He was shot at in Arizona in October 2019, and police said they believe that Cox was the one who tried to shoot him. Leger's death came almost exactly two years after JJ's remains were found. According to marriage records, Charles Vallow was Vallow Daybells fourth husband; the two married in 2006. Later that year, Tammy Daybell, the wife of Chad Daybell and the mother of his five children, died at the Daybell's home in Idaho of what officials initially said were natural causes but later said was suspicious. There were so many times that I would die laughing. JJs father, Charles Vallow, is actually Woodcocks brother: He adopted JJ as a baby because JJs biological parents including Woodcocks son were unable to They dug up a dog. FILE - A boy looks at a memorial for Tylee Ryan and Joshua "JJ" Vallow in Rexburg, Idaho, on June 11, 2020. That's not that's not what a friend does. The 54-year-old Idaho father is accused of murder in the death of Vallow Daybells two children along with his then-wife, Tammy Daybell. Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell, have both been charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, murder, and grand theft in connection with the deaths of Vallow's two youngest children: 7-year-old Joshua To his sister. Let us know the location you'd like to browse. Chad Daybells jury trial hasnt been scheduled. Kay Woodcock, the biological grandmother of slain 7-year-old Joshua "J.J." Vallow, detailed Lori Vallow's shift in priorities from her children to her "Doomsday cult" on Morgan Loew: They're in this Hawaii vacation. They are investigating her for conspiracy to commit murder. ROB WOOD | Madison County/City of Rexburg Deputy Prosecuting Attorney: And what did you observe when they did that? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. J. J. Vallow was born to his parents Todd Trahan and Chrysta. Vallow Daybell, friends said, was increasinglyconvinced that doomsday is around the corner. Ms Vallow then went on to meet and marry Charles Vallow. But what about the man who led them to Daybell's backyard? But the little boy was nowhere to be seen the next morning. JJ and Tylee Facebook. Lori refused several law enforcement orders to produce the children to officials. Margaret Travillion: And I literally remember coming into the classroom in the beginning and him just being very closed off To the later part of him being with us, just to "Miss Margaret" (chuckles). Jonathan Vigliotti: Why do you think the children were murdered? Chad Cox talks with police after shooting Charles Vallow. Joshua "JJ" Vallow's Biological Parents Does anyone know if JJ's biological parents, Todd Trahan, father, and, Chrysta (last name unknown), mother), have been in Prosecutors allege that Vallow and Daybell became obsessed with doomsday-focused religious beliefs that led them to commit four murders. Police learned what happened to JJ by once again following Alex Cox's cell phone. Charles Vallow, the fourth husband of Lori Vallow Daybell, was fatally shot by his wifes brother. Lori Vallow is a suspect in a web of alleged murders in Idaho and Arizona. He and his wife Tammy had five children. this one sticks this one is bad. How are you guys? MELANIE GIBB: He was in the family room mostly, and then outside some. Both Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon church. She has also been charged with murder in the shooting of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in Arizona. By the end of September 2019, Lori had a dead husband, Charles Vallow, and though no one yet knew it, two dead children. She told him that Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell believed their children had been possessed and had become zombies," the documents said. He also claimed he could read light and dark auras. JJs father, Charles Vallow, is actually Woodcocks brother: He adopted JJ as a baby because JJs biological parents including Woodcocks son were unable to care for the child. The 7-year-old boy was killed and found buried in a shallow grave in June 2020 on Chad Daybells property. Authorities believe it is was they who embraced the darkness. Soon after, Vallow Daybell and her children moved to Idaho. They were found dead in shallow graves on Chad Daybells property nine months later in June 2020. Police in Hawaii searched Lori's rental car looking for evidence of the kids. One of the many tributes to JJ and Tylee. In October 2019, a few months after Charles Vallow died, Tammy Daybell was found dead of what were believed at the time to be natural causes. The discovery of the children in Chad Daybell's backyard was the result of a complicated six-month investigation that unraveled a sordid tale of murder, greed and religious fanaticism a story that began with their mother, Lori Vallow, who, to her friend April Raymond, was a woman who once seemed incapable of harming her own children. When Colby Ryan Lori Vallow's only living child entered the Boise, Idaho, courtroom where she is on trial, Vallow mouthed, "Oh my baby." I'm like, 'why are police coming my door?'" Mandy Leger passed away in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on June 15, 2022, from natural causes brought on by hypertensive heart disease, a coroner's report obtained by The U.S. Sun showed. The court released an audio-only version of that conversation. I felt in shock. since JJs adoptive father, Charles Vallow, is deceased. Daybell had a religious-focused podcast, on which Vallow Daybell appeared. Lori later told police that she walked past Vallow on the floor and went outside. On November 26, 2019, two months after JJ was last seen, Rexburg Police came knocking on Lori's door looking for the little boy. They were last seen in September, and they were declared missing in November after extended family urged police to investigate. ROB WOOD: How did Alex Cox bring JJ into the house? An online comment under Vallow's obituary also mentioned two kids and that was the first time Gwilliam heard anything about Lori's son and daughter, she told the jury. JJ's grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, could barely contain their grief as they listened. Kay Woodcocks son was the biological father of JJ, but the Woodcocks had guardianship over JJ until the Vallows adopted him. How come you're not telling anybody where your kids are?" Ahorrific discoverywould eventually be made on June 9, 2020, after authorities served a search warrant at the Rexburg home of Chad Daybell. By December, police and the FBI were searching for 16-year-old Tylee and 7-year-old JJ. The Vallows separated the following year, with Charles Vallow filing for divorce. April Raymond traveled from Utah to Rexburg, Idaho, where it all began. Updated on: April 26, 2023 / 10:21 AM Lori and Tylee and JJ are there, and so is Alex Cox. I was not OK with it, because she told something to the police that was not true that I had no knowledge of, Gibb told the court, adding that she "had a really bad feeling in my stomach.". Melani Boudreaux Pawlowski is Lori Vallows niece, and in 2019 she was divorced from Brandon Boudreaux. Everyone wanted to know what happened to them. What is it over? I I shot my brother-in-law in self-defense.". Gibb and Warwick testified that Cox put JJ to bed in Lori's room. Blake also argued that Vallow Daybell and her husband used their religious beliefs to try to persuade those around them not to question their actions and even to justify murder. Within an hour of entering the house that morning, Vallow was lying on the floor in a pool of blood shot in the chest by Alex Cox. A warning: what you are about to read may be disturbing. Samantha Gwilliam is Tammy Daybells sister. MELANIE GIBB: She said that Kay was trying to kidnap JJ. The night before she died, Leger had made a defiant vow to a friend in a text message, voicing determination to get to the bottom of what happened to her biological son. Chad Daybells jury trial hasnt been scheduled. DAVID WARWICK: She said that he was being a zombie and climbed up on the cabinets, climbed up on top of the fridge, smashed her picture of Christ down, and then climbed up onto the upper cabinets and got between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling. I don't know what your intention is on this phone call. Chad and Lori led a group of friends in trying to cast out the supposed evil spirits by praying and doing energy work, prosecutors said. I spotted a big raccoon along the fence. Vallow Daybell claimed the only way to get rid of a zombie was to destroy the persons body, prosecutors say, and one friend told police she heard Vallow Daybell call the children zombies before they disappeared. Vallow Daybell joined the LDS church and the pair married in 2006. Sometime in 2018 Lori met Chad Daybell and spent time with him away from her family. The couple later adopted JJ, who was the biological grandson of Vallows sister, and the family lived together with Tylee for years. Daybellowned a religious publishing company, and his own writing focused on fringe beliefs, including what he said were his own near-death experiences and the end times. He married Tammy Daybell in the 1990s, and they had five children together. Or Is he alive, or? Alex Cox was the brother of Vallow Daybell who fatally shot his sisters husband, Charles Vallow, in Arizona. The couple had been due to stand trial together but the two cases were severed by a judge last month. In a separate case in Arizona, she is charged with conspiring to murder her late husband, Charles Vallow. It was January 2020 and a nationwide manhunt was underway for Vallows adopted son Joshua JJ Vallow, 7, and her 17-year-old daughter, Tylee Ryan. Zulema Pastenes is the widow of Cox. Sign in, Looking for Business service? Though he was born of Vallow Daybells second marriage, when his mother remarried Colby took Joe Ryans last name. They wanted to start over. Morgan Loew: It appears that Chandler Police believe Lori had something to do with Charles's death. He reportedly believed he had numerous past lives and could talk to angels. Please enter valid email address to continue. Chad Daybell whose trial date hasnt been set also faces a first-degree murder charge in Tammy Daybells death. That was such a huge red flag to me. JJ's adoptive mom,Lori Vallow, and her doomsday author fifth husband,Chad Daybell, are accused of killing the two children and others as part of a depraved plot fueled by their bizarre religious beliefs. I just can't bear that thought. I didn't hold it together at all. April Raymond says Lori told her one of those evil beings was her own husband Charles Vallow. OFFICER DORENBUSH | Gilbert Police Department: What did she say yesterday? You can listen to "Inside the Lori Vallow Daybell Trial" on the"48 Hours" YouTube Channel.