https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/crime/article288919316.html

I’ve been following this case since JJ and Tylee were reported missing in December 2019. I remember clearly as time ran out as JJ’s grandparents waited for Lori to produce the children to the police station, and when Lori was arrested and extradited to Idaho for failing to do so. I watched from above with East Idaho News in their chopper as Chad Daybell’s property was searched in June 2020 and the remains of JJ and Tylee were recovered, and seeing the video of Chad attempting to flee. Today is the first major step in justice for JJ Vallow, Tylee Ryan and Tammy Daybell. 

It has been announced that the two Idaho children missing since late 2019 (Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7 and Tylee Ryan, 17) are deceased and that their remains have been discovered on the property belonging to their step-father, Chad Daybell. In November 2019, relatives of JJ Vallow requested a welfare check from the local authorities as they had not heard from or seen JJ in quite some time. When law enforcement performed the welfare check the children’s mother and step-father said that JJ was staying with a family friend in Arizona. Police returned the following day with a search warrant and found that Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell had left. As authorities searched for the missing children the couple had fled to Hawaii. They were discovered in January 2020. Lori Vallow was given an opportunity and a deadline to prove that her children were safe and well and to hand them over to authorities. The deadline came and went with no sign of the children and Vallow was arrested in February. In March she was extradited from Hawaii back to Idaho. She is currently awaiting trial. Chad Daybell has been charged with destroying evidence. Autopsies are being completed on the recovered bodies.

An interesting note: Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell married in November, 2019. This was mere months after both of their previous spouses died and after Lori Vallow’s children were last seen. Vallow’s ex-husband was shot and killed by Vallow’s brother. Daybell’s ex-wife’s death was originally considered to be from natural causes but is now being considered suspicious. After marrying, Daybell and Vallow told multiple witnesses that Tylee had died a year prior and that Lori had no young children (denying any existence of JJ).

Another interesting note: Chad Daybell was/is an author and many of his books contain themes of doomsday and religious ideologies. Daybell and Vallow were very interested in doomsday preparation. In January 2019, Vallow’s ex-husband contacted the police to complain that he could not get in touch with the children. He said that his marriage to Lori Vallow deteriorated rapidly because she “thinks she’s a resurrected being and a god.”

It All Starts with Two Missing Kids

I’ve been following this rather crazy story for a few days now and I thought I’d share it with you. Just be warned before you read that this is all ongoing, so there’s a lot we don’t know. I’ll do my best to make it less confusing than it really is for you, and to set aside rumors from known facts.

We’ll start in November of 2019, when Kay and Larry Woodcock called police in Rexburg, Idaho, and asked them to do a welfare check on Joshua “JJ” Vallow, whom they hadn’t heard from since late September. JJ is a 7 year old boy with special needs and although he was Kay and Larry’s biological grandson, he had been adopted by Kay’s brother Charles Vallow and his wife Lori. Charles had died in July 2019, so JJ was living with Lori and her new husband, Chad Daybell (more on that later, because it’s one big piece of this puzzle).

When police arrived to Chad (51) and Lori’s (46) house on November 26, JJ wasn’t there. They claimed that he was staying with a family friend in Arizona, but police soon found out that wasn’t true. They went back the next day with a search warrant, only to find that Lori and Chad had abruptly left town with an unknown destination.

If that wasn’t suspicious enough, authorities realized that JJ wasn’t the only kid missing. His older sister Tylee Ryan, who was Lori’s 17 year old daughter, had also vanished and no one had seen or heard from her since September. Neither of the kids had been reported missing by anyone.

JJ and Tylee’s whereabouts remain unknown, and we don’t even know if they’re alive. Rexburg police has openly said they “strongly” believe they are in danger. In a press release from December 30, they said that witnesses claimed Lori and Chad had told them Tylee had died in 2018, which wasn’t true, and that Chad had told someone else that Lori had “no minor children”. Meanwhile, Lori and Chad, wherever they are, have lawyered up. 

While the missing children is undoubtedly the more pressing matter, it’s only the tip of the iceberg in this case. Turns out that both Chad and Lori have quite a shady past, especially in relation to their previous spouses. 

Chad was married to a woman called Tammy (49), who was found dead in her home on October 19, 2019 (so a month after the kids went missing). At the time, her death was considered from natural causes, but now police consider it suspicious and have exhumed her body to perform an autopsy and testing. The results, if they have them, haven’t been released yet. Chad married Lori only two weeks after his wife’s death.

Lori, who’d been married four times before finding her fifth husband in Chad, was also a recent widow, but her husband’s death was way more violent than Tammy’s. Charles Vallow and her had separated in early 2019 and their divorce was getting nasty. On July 11, 2019, Charles was shot to death by Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona (where Lori lived before moving to Rexburg). Alex’s story was that Charles had showed up at the house, an argument had ensued and Charles had hit him with a baseball bat, so he’d shot him in self defense. Alex (51) himself died of unknown causes on December 12, 2019, and his death is currently under investigation as well.

So here is where things get a bit muddier, since some people believe that all this is related to an alleged cult. Both Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow were very religious. Chad owns a publishing company called Spring Creek Book where he had self-published many of his books that talk about the end of times and near death experiences. He and Lori used to appear in podcasts from a media company called Preparing A People, which claims to help prepare people on Earth for the second coming of Christ, and it’s connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The owners of said company issued a statement in December in which they distanced themselves from the couple.

According to the Woodcocks, Lori was a nice woman until she started getting more involved with this religious group in 2018, where she supposedly met Chad. When Charles Vallow filed the divorce papers, he made some very shocking claims about Lori, saying that she was “obsessive about near death experiences and spiritual visions”, that she claimed to be “eternally married to the prophet Moroni” from the Book of Mormon and that she had lived “numerous lives on numerous planets”. The document from February 2019 says: “(Lori) informed (Charles) that she is a translated being who cannot taste death sent by God to lead the 144,000 into the Millennium. She is receiving spiritual revelations and visions to help her gather and prepare those chosen to live in the New Jerusalem after the Great War as prophesied in the book of Revelations”. Charles also claimed that Lori said she had been assigned by God to “carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ’s second coming in July 2020″ and that if he got in her way she would kill him, and that had an angel who would help her dispose of his body. And as we know, Charles was dead only 5 months later.

There are reports that Lori left Charles because he was cheating on her during his business trips. One police report seems to believe that Charles was the most suspicious of the two, and you can read about it here. So I guess we need to keep our minds open regarding this part of the story.

To add a little to the weirdness, a man called Brandon Boudreaux was married to Lori’s niece and claims she abruptly asked for divorce after she started spending time with Lori’s religious group. Then, in October 2, 2019, Brandon was shot at by some unknown assailant while he was driving a car registered in Lori’s name. The bullet missed him, but Brandon is convinced that it’s connected to this alleged cult (which, to be fair, hasn’t been officially confirmed by anyone).

Tylee’s dad, Joseph Ryan, who was Lori’s third husband, died in 2018 from a heart attack.

So far no charges have been pressed against Chad and Lori, who remain uncooperative with the investigation and refusing to reveal where her kids are. Their lawer issued a statement saying: “Chad Daybell was a loving husband and has the support of his children in this matter. Lori (Vallow) Daybell is a devoted mother and resents assertions to the contrary. We look forward to addressing the allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor”.

UPDATE Jan 27, 2020

Authorities have located Lori and Chad in Hawaii. The children are not with them and there’s no evidence they were ever in Hawaii either, and the couple has again refused to tell police where they are. They have been given a child protection order, which requires Lori to physically produce Tylee and JJ to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare in Rexburg or to the Rexburg Police within five days, otherwise she might be subject to civil or criminal contempt of court.

UPDATE FEB 11, 2020

The deadline passed, Tylee and JJ’s whereabouts are still unknown. We’ve learned a few things, though:

- In August 2019, about a month after Charles Vallow was murdered and shortly before Lori and her new husband moved from Arizona, where she lived with her kids, to Idaho, she gave away JJ’s service dog, even though he was vital for her son’s treatment. She tried to sell the dog, Bailey, first for 2.500, but ended up telling Bailey’s trainer to take him (x).

- Tylee’s cellphone was found in her mother’s possession in Hawaii. According to several sources, the phone has been used since Tylee was last seen in September, but a text sent to a friend didn’t sound like her (x). Her older brother Colby also got texts from Tylee until October, but would never be able to talk on the phone with him when he tried. Colby also found Tylee’s texting style back then different from usual (x).

- Between October and November 2019, Lori put all her kids’ belongings in a storing unit in Idaho (x).

- When Charles Vallow was murdered by her own brother, Lori told the news to his adult sons from a previous relationship by text, telling them only that their father had died and kept avoiding explaining how exactly he died (x).

So far no arrests have been made, despite Lori’s refusal to comply with a court order. Police are likely working on gathering enough evidence to be able to charge her with something.

Sources:

- Article Two Children are Missing from the Washington Post.

- A Timeline and Key Players from the Case (note that Charles Vallow’s date of death is wrong here)

- Charles allegations against Lori.

- Police comment on Tammy Daybell’s death and Lori’s older son begs her to come home.

Trigger warning murder and transphobia.

January/November 2019: Matthew Rushin’s accident and wrongful imprisonment case Matthew, a 21-year-old Black autistic college student, was in January 2019 involved in a car accident, which was wrongfully claimed a suicide attempt. He is currently in prison and facing a 10-year sentence, essentially for having an autistic meltdown while being Black. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, his case has gained public traction. More information can be found here, here and here. Sign the petition here.

May 18th: Chad Gordon killed in a case of mistaken identity Chad, a 27 year-old Black autistic man from Hackney, London, was fatally shot at close range when he opened his door on Monday May 18th. Read more about his tragic murder here.

May 21st: Alejandro Ripley’s murder  Alejandro, a 9-year-old autistic, non-speaking boy, was brutally murdered by his own mother in Florida. After having been saved by bystanders the first time his mother pushed him into a canal, he later died in a different canal. According to the mom, “he’s going to be in a better place”. Read more details here. 

May 30th: Iyad Al-Khalak’s murder Iyad/Eyad Al-Khalak, a 32-year-old Palestinian autistic man, was shot and killed by Israeli police in Jerusalem. Apologies have been made by the government, but the police officers involved need to be held accountable. Sign the petition here. I have made a post about other actions you can take to demand justice, which you can find here. 

June 10th: JJ Vallow (and Tylee Ryan)’s confirmed death Two children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, had been missing since September, 2019. The family has confirmed the remainders that have been found are indeed JJ and Tylee. JJ was an autistic 7-year-old boy, and Tylee was his 17-year-old sister. More details can be found here, and here.

May/June: Huxley Stauffer’s “rehoming” YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer recently declared to “rehome” their adopted, autistic 4-year-old named Huxley from China. According to them, this was due to “extent of his needs”. Huxley is currently the subject of a police investigation, as his whereabouts are unknown. For more details, see here and here.

J.K. Rowling’s infantalisation of trans autistic people As many of you probably know, J.K. Rowling posted a “response” to the criticism she’s been receiving on June 10th. You can read the post here. With the words:  “The UK has experienced a 4400% increase in girls being referred for transitioning treatment. Autistic girls are hugely overrepresented in their numbers. [...] ‘I (Lisa Littman) would have been remiss had I not considered social contagion and peer influences as potential factors.’ [...]  where she believes that in the realm of transgender identification ‘youth have created particularly insular echo chambers.’ , Rowling has upset the autistic community. Infantalisation is a senstive issue among autistics, as it is a tactic used to undermine our capabilities. If you want to read what trans autistic people have to say about this, search #WeAreNotConfused on Twitter.

Solomon Smith’s experience with police Solomon “Sunny” Smith, a Black autistic man, was walking home, racially profiled and tased, because he couldn’t respond to demands. In the video here you can hear him repeatedly say: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry”. Black autistics are at an extremely high risk to be in contact with the police, and this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

What these recent events confirm is that autistic lives are at risk at an alarming rate. We are treated inhumanely, even by those who should be our caregivers. We are being murdered for existing. Black autistics in particular fear for their lives. They should not be left out of the conversation. So, spread the word: #BlackAutisticLivesMatter, #BlackDisabledLivesMatter! 

Episode 1: The Timeline is available now on Stitcher. @The Chosen Ones Podcast is a Conveyor Media Production.

From Killing Theodore- Host: Celene Beth Calderon and Executive Producer: Rebecca Sirmons.

*Please note that @thechosenonespodcast will be coming to additional hosting apps in the next few weeks.