Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events

Today, people know Lori Vallow Daybell as a “doomsday mom.” She’s been called a “monster” and a “cult mom.” 

Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell are charged with the murders of Vallow’s kids – JJ Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, who vanished in September 2019.  The married couple also face other charges related to the mysterious deaths of their former spouses.

2006: Happily Married

HAPPILY MARRIED: Lori and Charles Vallow wed in 2006.

Kay Woodcock


Before all the notoriety, Lori married businessman Charles Vallow. Friends say it appeared to be a happy marriage. Together, the couple was raising Tylee Ryan, Lori’s daughter from a previous marriage.

2014: JJ Joins the Family 

Lori and JJ Vallow

Tylee Ryan/Instagram


Lori and Charles Vallow  adopted JJ Vallow. He was the grandson of Charles’ sister. JJ had autism and April Raymond, who was Lori’s friend, says Lori was “patient,” an ideal mother for him.

Vaisia Itaaehau met the Vallow family when they lived in Arizona. She says Tylee embraced her role as a big sister, that Tylee even jokingly referred to JJ as her own child.

2017: Family dynamics change

Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Lori Vallow.

Tylee Ryan/Instagram


Sometime around 2017, relatives say Lori Vallow’s relationship with her children changed. Her friends say she had been reading the books of  doomsday author Chad Daybell. Daybell, who wrote several fiction books about preparing for the end of the world, lived outside Rexburg, Idaho.

2018: Lori Vallow meets Chad Daybell

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell [driver’s licence photos]

Rexburg Police Department


Sometime in 2018, Lori Vallow met Chad Daybell. Lori Vallow’s friends say there was a connection between the two and they began doing religious podcasts together.  Daybell was also married. Together with his wife Tammy Daybell, he was raising five children.

Lori Vallow’s friend Melanie Gibb would later say she heard Chad Daybell and Lori talking about “zombies”— people whose souls were replaced by “dark spirits.”   Lori’s former friend, April Raymond, told “48 Hours” that Lori started referring to her husband, Charles Vallow, as a “demon.”

2019: Seeking help

On January 31, 2019, Charles Vallow is seen on police bodycam video telling officers his wife had become “unhinged.”

Gilbert Police Department


In 2019, Charles Vallow became very worried about Lori, and he went to the police with his concerns. He told them Lori believed she was a “god” preparing for the end of days. He also said Lori had threatened to murder him.

February 2019: Charles Vallow’s fears

Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow

Kay Woodcock


Charles Vallow filed for a divorce from Lori. In court documents, Charles expressed that he feared for his and the children’s safety.

July 2019: A death investigation

Alex Cox talks with police after shooting Charles Vallow.

KPHO/Chandler Police Department


Charles Vallow went to the house where Lori Vallow was living with the children in Chandler, Arizona. Charles was supposed to drop their son JJ off at school. But when he went inside the home, Charles was shot dead by Lori’s brother, Alex Cox.

Cox told police that Lori and Charles got into a fight. Alex claimed he was protecting his sister and shot Charles in self-defense. Lori and Tylee — who both say they heard the shooting — told similar stories of self-defense. 

September 2019

Lori Vallow moved closer to Chad Daybell. She relocated her kids to Rexburg, Idaho. Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, moved into the same apartment complex. 

Sept. 8, 2019: Tylee Ryan vanishes

 JJ Vallow, Tylee Ryan, and their uncle, Alex Cox, at Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019.  Police say this is the last known photo of Tylee before she disappeared.

FBI


Lori Vallow, Tylee, JJ, and Alex Cox went to Yellowstone National Park. Police say this is where the last known photo of Tylee was taken before she vanished. Melanie Gibb has said that Lori had referred to Tylee as a “zombie.” 

Sept. 9, 2019:

The morning after Tylee Ryan disappeared, investigators say that Alex Cox’s cellphone GPS placed him in Chad Daybell’s backyard, on the property for about 2 hours. About 14 minutes after Cox’s GPS showed him leaving the property, Chad Daybell texted his wife, Tammy Daybell. The text read: “… I spotted a big racoon [sic] along the fence. I hurried and got my gun, and he was still walking along. I got close enough that one shot did the trick. He is now in our pet cemetery…”

Sept. 22, 2019: JJ Vallow disappears

JJ Disappears:  A photo of JJ wearing red pajamas taken on September 22, 2019, in what is believed to be last known photo of the 7-year-old.

Chandler Police Department


Police say JJ Vallow was last seen on Sept. 22, 2019. 

Melanie Gibb says that she and her boyfriend, David Warwick, were staying with Lori Vallow in Rexburg that weekend. On the night of Sept. 22, Warwick says he saw Alex Cox carry JJ into Lori’s apartment. But the next morning, according to Warwick, when he asked to see JJ, Lori reportedly told them that JJ was “being a zombie” and that Cox had to take him away.

Sept. 23, 2019

The day after JJ was last seen, investigators say Alex Cox’s cellphone showed that Cox returned to Chad Daybell’s backyard. This time, Cox was there for only 17 minutes.

Oct. 19, 2019: Another death

Chad and Tammy Daybell

Emma Murray


With Lori Vallow’s children’s whereabouts unknown, tragedy struck Chad Daybell’s family. Daybell’s wife, Tammy Daybell, died. The couple’s son, Garth Daybell, said Tammy died in bed and that he and Chad called 911. 

The Daybell children told “48 Hours”  they declined an autopsy. They say the coroner told them Tammy’s death appeared to be natural causes. They believed that because they say their mom was in ill health prior to her death.

Nov. 5, 2019: Chad and Lori wed

Roughly two weeks later, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell got married on a beach in Hawaii. 

Later that month, JJ’s grandmother, Kay Woodcock, asked police to check on JJ’s welfare. Woodcock said she was concerned and hadn’t heard from JJ in months. 

Nov. 26, 2019: Missing kids

NCMEC


Rexburg police went to Lori Vallow Daybell’s house looking for JJ. Police say Vallow Daybell lied to them, claiming that JJ was safe and staying in Arizona with her friend, Melanie Gibb. At first, Gibb wasn’t forthcoming about JJ’s whereabouts but later called police and told them JJ hadn’t been with her.

While Rexburg police attempted to locate JJ, investigators soon realized that his sister, Tylee Ryan was also missing, and launched a nationwide search for the children. 

December 2019

While investigators searched for the missing children, Lori and Chad Daybell traveled back to Hawaii. 

In December 2019, Fremont County Sheriff’s Investigators grew suspicious about Tammy Daybell’s death. They exhumed her body to conduct an autopsy. 

That same month, Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, died in Arizona. It was determined he died of natural causes.

Jan. 25, 2020

Authorities served Lori Vallow Daybell an order requiring her to produce her children. 

Feb. 20, 2020: An arrest

Lori Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii on February 20, 2020.Two weeks later, she was extradited to Idaho. 

Kauai Police Department


After failing to comply,  Lori Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii. Two weeks later, she was extradited to Idaho. 

June 9, 2020: Searching Chad Daybell’s backyard

The FBI, Rexburg PD and Fremont County Sheriff’s Office descend upon Chad Daybell’s home and property in search of the missing children.

AP


Even after Vallow Daybell’s arrest, the couple refused to say where the children were. On June 9, 2020, the FBI, Rexburg Police and Fremont County Sheriff’s Office descended upon Chad Daybell’s home and property. 

Authorities dug in areas of the backyard where Alex Cox’s cellphone had pinged in September 2019. Tragically, they uncovered human remains buried in shallow graves. 

JJ Vallow had been buried under a tree and about 50 yards away; investigators found Tylee’s grave in the Daybell’s pet cemetery. Prosecutors believe she was buried in the same location Chad Daybell referenced when he texted Tammy Daybell nine months earlier, saying he was burying a raccoon.

Investigators dug up part of the pet cemetery and found no raccoon. But Daybell’s family told” 48 Hours” there was a second pet cemetery on the property that was not searched.

Chad Daybell was arrested.

June 2020

Authorities later confirmed that they identified the remains as JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan. A memorial was built along the Daybell’s fence to honor the victims.

May 2021

Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell were charged with first-degree murder for the deaths of JJ and Tylee.  Daybell was also charged with murdering his first wife, Tammy Daybell. 

June 2021: Chad Daybell in court

Chad Daybell pleaded not guilty to all the charges.  

June 2021: Lori Vallow Daybell’s case on hold

In June 2021, Lori Vallow Daybell was also charged with conspiring to murder Charles Vallow.  That same month, a judge ruled Lori incompetent to stand trial while she receives mental health treatment.

AP


Lori Vallow Daybell was also charged with conspiring to murder Charles Vallow. That same month, a judge ruled Lori incompetent to stand trial while she receives mental health treatment. She had not yet entered a plea; her case was on hold.

August 2021: Awaiting trial

Chad Daybell with his attorney John Prior,

Fremont County Courthouse


Prosecutors announced they will seek the death penalty against Chad Daybell. Daybell is jailed, awaiting trial.   

September 2021: Speaking out

Chad Daybell’s children, clockwise from top left, Mark Daybell, Leah Murphy, Seth Daybell, Garth Daybell and Emma Murray. 

CBS News


Chad and Tammy Daybell’s children — speaking publicly for the first time together — told “48 Hours” they believe their father is innocent. Daybell’s daughter, Emma Murray, says she believes Chad was framed by Alex Cox and Lori Vallow Daybell.

April 11, 2022: Lori Vallow Daybell fit to stand trial

Judge Steven Boyce ruled Lori Vallow Daybell is now mentally competent to stand trial in the Idaho murder case. He did not provide other details about her treatment or mental condition. She is scheduled to be formally arraigned in court next week and both Lori and Chad Daybell are set to stand trial together early next year.

April 19, 2022: Judge enters plea on Lori Vallow Daybell’s behalf

Lori Vallow Daybell refused to enter a plea to murder and other charges, prompting Judge Steven Boyce to enter a not guilty plea on her behalf. Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, were both at the courthouse in the eastern Idaho town of St. Anthony for court proceedings; Vallow Daybell for an arraignment that was delayed for months while she underwent treatment at a mental health facility, and Chad Daybell for a hearing over the trial venue.

May 4, 2022: Lori Vallow Daybell could face death penalty

Lori Vallow Daybell will qualify for capital punishment if she is convicted at her trial later this year because the slayings were exceptionally depraved and carried out for financial gain, according to court documents filed by prosecuting attorneys from Fremont and Madison counties on May 2.

Aug. 16, 2022: Lori Vallow Daybell’s attorney’s seek change in charges

Lori Vallow Daybell, right, sits by an attorney for a hearing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022. 

Tony Blakeslee / AP


Attorneys for Lori Vallow Daybell asked a judge to send the case back to a grand jury because they say that the conspiracy charges are oddly constructed and could confuse a jury. Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell have pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges in connection with the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan.

Sept. 23, 2022: Cameras to be banned from courtroom

Seventh District Judge Steven Boyce has banned cameras from the courtroom in the criminal case of Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell, saying he fears the images could prevent a fair trial. The Idaho judge said news organizations will no longer be able to shoot still photography or videos inside the courtroom.

Jan. 7, 2023: Judge: Lori Vallow Daybell, Chad Daybell not allowed to meet face-to-face

Judge Steven Boyce rejected a request from Lori Vallow Daybell’s attorneys that she and her husband be allowed to meet in person and on the phone to discuss strategies and settlement options.  Attorneys for Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell presented several requests during a motion hearing including that the trial be delayed until 2024 – a request from Chad Daybell’s attorneys – and that the death penalty be taken off the table – a request from Lori Vallow Daybell’s lawyers.

March 2023: Two trials to be held 

Judge Steven Boyce granted a motion by Chad Daybell’s attorneys to sever the trials, meaning separate trials will be held. Lori Vallow Daybell’s trial is scheduled to start on April 3. Chad Daybell’s trial has not yet been scheduled. 

March 21, 2023: Lori Vallow Daybell will not face death penalty in upcoming trial

Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty for both defendants, but Lori Vallow Daybell’s attorneys said it should be taken off the table in her case because they will not have time to fully review a large amount of evidence that was turned over in recent weeks. During a hearing, Judge Steven Boyce agreed. He noted that Vallow Daybell has not waived her right to a speedy trial, so the proceeding could not be rescheduled to give her defense team ample time to review the evidence. The death penalty still applies to Chad Daybell’s case. 

April 3, 2023: Jury selection begins in Lori Vallow Daybell case

Attorneys began selecting 18 potential jurors for the trial of Lori Valllow Daybell, charged in what prosecutors say was a doomsday-focused plot. Authorities summoned 1,800 potential jurors to the courthouse in late March, requiring each of them to complete a 20-page questionnaire in hopes of winnowing out anyone unable to fairly try the case. Defense attorneys and prosecutors have spent the last few days reviewing the questionnaires and will begin questioning the remaining jury pool members in an effort to pick 12 jurors and six alternates to hear the case. The process could take days.   

April 10, 2023: Lori Vallow Daybell’s trial underway

In a trial expected to take up to 10 weeks, the prosecution and defense in the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell made their opening arguments to a jury in Boise, Idaho. 

Prosecutor Lindsey Blake said Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell used their religious beliefs — including that evil spirits that cast people out and turn their bodies into zombies had possessed Tylee and JJ — to try to persuade those around them not to question their actions and even to justify murder. Vallow Daybell, she argued, wanted money and wanted Chad Daybell, and sought to remove the obstacles — her children, Daybell’s spouse — that stood in her way, Blake said.

Defense attorney John Archibald told jurors that in this country, we get to choose our religious beliefs, and Vallow Daybell’s began to change when she met her husband.  Witness testimony began with Kay Woodcock, the sister of Vallow Daybell’s deceased husband Charles Vallow and the biological grandparent of JJ Vallow. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty, but are being tried separately.

Summarize this content to 100 words Today, people know Lori Vallow Daybell as a “doomsday mom.” She’s been called a “monster” and a “cult mom.” Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell are charged with the murders of Vallow’s kids – JJ Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, who vanished in September 2019.  The married couple also face other charges related to the mysterious deaths of their former spouses.2006: Happily Married HAPPILY MARRIED: Lori and Charles Vallow wed in 2006. Kay Woodcock Before all the notoriety, Lori married businessman Charles Vallow. Friends say it appeared to be a happy marriage. Together, the couple was raising Tylee Ryan, Lori’s daughter from a previous marriage. 2014: JJ Joins the Family  Lori and JJ Vallow Tylee Ryan/Instagram Lori and Charles Vallow  adopted JJ Vallow. He was the grandson of Charles’ sister. JJ had autism and April Raymond, who was Lori’s friend, says Lori was “patient,” an ideal mother for him.Vaisia Itaaehau met the Vallow family when they lived in Arizona. She says Tylee embraced her role as a big sister, that Tylee even jokingly referred to JJ as her own child. 2017: Family dynamics change Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Lori Vallow. Tylee Ryan/Instagram Sometime around 2017, relatives say Lori Vallow’s relationship with her children changed. Her friends say she had been reading the books of  doomsday author Chad Daybell. Daybell, who wrote several fiction books about preparing for the end of the world, lived outside Rexburg, Idaho.2018: Lori Vallow meets Chad Daybell Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell [driver’s licence photos] Rexburg Police Department Sometime in 2018, Lori Vallow met Chad Daybell. Lori Vallow’s friends say there was a connection between the two and they began doing religious podcasts together.  Daybell was also married. Together with his wife Tammy Daybell, he was raising five children.Lori Vallow’s friend Melanie Gibb would later say she heard Chad Daybell and Lori talking about “zombies”— people whose souls were replaced by “dark spirits.”   Lori’s former friend, April Raymond, told “48 Hours” that Lori started referring to her husband, Charles Vallow, as a “demon.”2019: Seeking help On January 31, 2019, Charles Vallow is seen on police bodycam video telling officers his wife had become “unhinged.” Gilbert Police Department In 2019, Charles Vallow became very worried about Lori, and he went to the police with his concerns. He told them Lori believed she was a “god” preparing for the end of days. He also said Lori had threatened to murder him. February 2019: Charles Vallow’s fears Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow Kay Woodcock Charles Vallow filed for a divorce from Lori. In court documents, Charles expressed that he feared for his and the children’s safety.July 2019: A death investigation Alex Cox talks with police after shooting Charles Vallow. KPHO/Chandler Police Department Charles Vallow went to the house where Lori Vallow was living with the children in Chandler, Arizona. Charles was supposed to drop their son JJ off at school. But when he went inside the home, Charles was shot dead by Lori’s brother, Alex Cox.Cox told police that Lori and Charles got into a fight. Alex claimed he was protecting his sister and shot Charles in self-defense. Lori and Tylee — who both say they heard the shooting — told similar stories of self-defense. September 2019Lori Vallow moved closer to Chad Daybell. She relocated her kids to Rexburg, Idaho. Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, moved into the same apartment complex. Sept. 8, 2019: Tylee Ryan vanishes  JJ Vallow, Tylee Ryan, and their uncle, Alex Cox, at Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019.  Police say this is the last known photo of Tylee before she disappeared. FBI Lori Vallow, Tylee, JJ, and Alex Cox went to Yellowstone National Park. Police say this is where the last known photo of Tylee was taken before she vanished. Melanie Gibb has said that Lori had referred to Tylee as a “zombie.” Sept. 9, 2019:The morning after Tylee Ryan disappeared, investigators say that Alex Cox’s cellphone GPS placed him in Chad Daybell’s backyard, on the property for about 2 hours. About 14 minutes after Cox’s GPS showed him leaving the property, Chad Daybell texted his wife, Tammy Daybell. The text read: “… I spotted a big racoon [sic] along the fence. I hurried and got my gun, and he was still walking along. I got close enough that one shot did the trick. He is now in our pet cemetery…”Sept. 22, 2019: JJ Vallow disappears JJ Disappears:  A photo of JJ wearing red pajamas taken on September 22, 2019, in what is believed to be last known photo of the 7-year-old. Chandler Police Department Police say JJ Vallow was last seen on Sept. 22, 2019.  Melanie Gibb says that she and her boyfriend, David Warwick, were staying with Lori Vallow in Rexburg that weekend. On the night of Sept. 22, Warwick says he saw Alex Cox carry JJ into Lori’s apartment. But the next morning, according to Warwick, when he asked to see JJ, Lori reportedly told them that JJ was “being a zombie” and that Cox had to take him away. Sept. 23, 2019The day after JJ was last seen, investigators say Alex Cox’s cellphone showed that Cox returned to Chad Daybell’s backyard. This time, Cox was there for only 17 minutes.Oct. 19, 2019: Another death Chad and Tammy Daybell Emma Murray With Lori Vallow’s children’s whereabouts unknown, tragedy struck Chad Daybell’s family. Daybell’s wife, Tammy Daybell, died. The couple’s son, Garth Daybell, said Tammy died in bed and that he and Chad called 911. The Daybell children told “48 Hours”  they declined an autopsy. They say the coroner told them Tammy’s death appeared to be natural causes. They believed that because they say their mom was in ill health prior to her death.Nov. 5, 2019: Chad and Lori wedRoughly two weeks later, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell got married on a beach in Hawaii. Later that month, JJ’s grandmother, Kay Woodcock, asked police to check on JJ’s welfare. Woodcock said she was concerned and hadn’t heard from JJ in months. Nov. 26, 2019: Missing kids NCMEC Rexburg police went to Lori Vallow Daybell’s house looking for JJ. Police say Vallow Daybell lied to them, claiming that JJ was safe and staying in Arizona with her friend, Melanie Gibb. At first, Gibb wasn’t forthcoming about JJ’s whereabouts but later called police and told them JJ hadn’t been with her. While Rexburg police attempted to locate JJ, investigators soon realized that his sister, Tylee Ryan was also missing, and launched a nationwide search for the children. December 2019While investigators searched for the missing children, Lori and Chad Daybell traveled back to Hawaii. In December 2019, Fremont County Sheriff’s Investigators grew suspicious about Tammy Daybell’s death. They exhumed her body to conduct an autopsy. That same month, Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, died in Arizona. It was determined he died of natural causes.Jan. 25, 2020Authorities served Lori Vallow Daybell an order requiring her to produce her children. Feb. 20, 2020: An arrest Lori Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii on February 20, 2020.Two weeks later, she was extradited to Idaho.  Kauai Police Department After failing to comply,  Lori Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii. Two weeks later, she was extradited to Idaho. June 9, 2020: Searching Chad Daybell’s backyard The FBI, Rexburg PD and Fremont County Sheriff’s Office descend upon Chad Daybell’s home and property in search of the missing children. AP Even after Vallow Daybell’s arrest, the couple refused to say where the children were. On June 9, 2020, the FBI, Rexburg Police and Fremont County Sheriff’s Office descended upon Chad Daybell’s home and property.  Authorities dug in areas of the backyard where Alex Cox’s cellphone had pinged in September 2019. Tragically, they uncovered human remains buried in shallow graves. JJ Vallow had been buried under a tree and about 50 yards away; investigators found Tylee’s grave in the Daybell’s pet cemetery. Prosecutors believe she was buried in the same location Chad Daybell referenced when he texted Tammy Daybell nine months earlier, saying he was burying a raccoon.Investigators dug up part of the pet cemetery and found no raccoon. But Daybell’s family told” 48 Hours” there was a second pet cemetery on the property that was not searched.Chad Daybell was arrested. June 2020Authorities later confirmed that they identified the remains as JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan. A memorial was built along the Daybell’s fence to honor the victims.May 2021Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell were charged with first-degree murder…
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lori-vallow-daybell-kids-case-timeline/ Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events

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