Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder - Ep. 71 | The Horrifying Vallow Daybell Cult Murders

Episode Date: September 17, 2025

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The quiet streets of Rexburg, Idaho once seemed like the last place where horror could take root. But behind closed doors in the shadows of suburban homes, a story was unfolding. A story so twisted, it blurred the line between faith and fanaticism. Love and obsession and life and death. It's a descent into the world of apocalyptic visions, secret packs, and chilling disappearances. A world where those closest to you could suddenly be branded as something less than human. and where that judgment carried a deadly cost. We're pulling back the veil on the case

that shook a community that gripped a nation and revealed just how dark belief can become when it turns into something else entirely. Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder, all things that I love to consume and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, beautiful, intellectually minded. Today, we are talking about

an absolutely crazy case that I had not heard about and it didn't happen long ago, long ago, but it is highly disturbing. So without further ado, let's unbuckle our seatbelts, go mock five down the highway, slam on the brakes, and bust through the windshield into these doomsday cult murders together. Chad Guy Daybell was born in Provo, Utah, and raised in the nearby city of Springville.

He grew up in a Mormon family and served a two-year mission in New Jersey in his youth. And after high school, he attended Brigham Young University, or BYU, where he studied journalism. And while at BYU, Chad married Tammy Douglas on March 9, 1990. In the couple eventually had five children and settled into an ordinary family life. Now, in the early 1990s, Chad worked as a sexton, which is essentially a grave digger for a church at a cemetery in Springville to help pay for college.

And he later said he had two near-death experiences as a young man, which profoundly influenced him. And those experiences, according to Chad, heightened his spiritual beliefs and gave him supposed insight into the afterlife, themes that would feature in his later writings, as we will see. So after graduating from BYU with a BA in journalism, Chad took a job as a copy editor for a local newspaper in Ogden, Utah. And colleagues from that time recall him as quiet and unremarkable.

Ouch. Because he did not openly discuss any unusual spiritual experiences then, but Chad's real ambitions lay in writing. So in 2001, he published his first book, One Foot in the Grave, a collection of bizarre stories from his grave digging days. And finding modest success in the niche market of Later Day Saint or LDS fiction, Chad and Tammy started a small publishing company called Spring Creek Book Company to self-publish his novels. And he wrote Doomsday-themed religious novels,

including a series about the end of the world, blending LDS theology with apocalyptic scenarios. What is this sounding like? Say it with me. Col! Colt! Colt! And by the mid-2010s, Chad had also begun publishing books by other aspiring LDS authors, notably Near Death Experience accounts. And in 2014, he published author Julie Rose Visionary Experiences, and around that time confided

that the events in his own novels were based on visions he claimed to have had. So Chad's growing fixation on end times, prophecies coincided with a major life change. And in 2015, claiming he received a personal revelation, he uprooted his entire family from Utah and moved to Salem, Idaho. And Tammy got a job as an assistant librarian there, and they relocated their publishing business as well. And friends would later note that Chad's personality

had grown increasingly weird and obsessed with apocalyptic ideas around this time. Say it with me. Cult, cult, cult, just screaming, future cult leader, isn't it? But still, those who knew him say there were few obvious red flags. And former neighbors and friends mostly saw him as a religious, but soft-spoken, family man and author.

And no one could have predicted that within a few years, Chad Daybell would be at the center of a string of suspicious deaths and murders. So Lori Noreen Valo Daybell was born on June 26, 1973, in the Loma Linda, California, formerly known with the last name Cox. And she was also raised in a Mormon family, but her upbringing was unusual because her parents were anti-tax protesters

aligned with sovereign citizen ideology, often clashing with the IRS. And as a young woman, Lori was very attractive, outgoing, and for a time worked as a hairstylist. And she also dabbled in the spotlight, because in 2004, she competed in the Mrs. Texas Beauty Pageant

and even appeared on the, game show, Wheel of Fortune. I used to love that game show. But Laurie's personal life was turbulent. She would marry Young at 19 to her high school boyfriend in 1992, but that first marriage ended in a quick divorce. Her second marriage came a few years later in October 1995, when she went a man named William Lejoya,

and they had a son Colby born in 1996. So by 1998, that marriage, too, had failed. Not a great track record. And in 2001, Lori married for a third time to Joseph Anthony Ryan Jr., who became a stepfather to Colby and gave the boy his last name. So Laurie and Joseph had a daughter together

named Tiley Ryan, born in 2002. And this third marriage was highly bitter for the two of them, and they would divorce in 2005 amid a resentful custody battle during which Laurie accused Joseph of abusing Colby and Tiley. And in 2007, Lori's brother

Alexander or Alex Cox actually attacked Joseph claiming he had been abusive to Lori and the kids. Now, Alex Cox served 90 days in jail for that assault. And years later, Colby would confirm that he had indeed been molested as a child, though the claim had not been fully proven. And tragically, Joseph died from arterioschloric cardiovascular disease in 2018. And police briefly reexamined Joseph's 2018 death for foul play, but, nothing suspicious and closed the case. And Laurie's fourth marriage would tie her to the Vallow family, as we know her today.

And in February 2006, she married Charles Vallow, a businessman from Arizona. And Charles was a devout Catholic, who converted to Laurie's LDS faith after their wedding. And together, they raised Laurie's two children, Colby and Tiley. And in 2013, the couple lovingly adopted Charles' grand nephew, Joshua Jackson, or JJ, Vallow.

who was then a baby. So JJ was the biological grandson of Charles' sister, Kay Woodcock, and Kay's husband, Larry. Now, the Woodcots had cared for JJ as an infant, and the baby was unfortunately born drug exposed due to his biological parents' substance abuse. And this was before the Vallow's adopted him, of course. So JJ had special needs and required a constant loving routine, and he would be later diagnosed with autism. But by all accounts, Charles and Lori provided a very stable home for.

for little JJ, and Laurie was a loving mother to both Tiley and JJ in those early years. So the family lived in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, and even spent a few idyllic years in Kauai, Hawaii, running a small business before returning back to Arizona around 2017. But beneath the appearance of normalcy, however, Lori's priorities were shifting dramatically

by the late 2010s. And she became increasingly obsessed with the doomsday prophecies and extremist religious teachings. And friends and family later noted that Lori's personality started to change, and she began insisting she had a divine purpose and that darkness surrounded those who opposed her. And these growing radical beliefs combined with Chad Daybell's influence, once the two eventually met, would set Lori on a dark path that few could have imagined.

So Lori Valo first crossed paths with Chad Daybell in October of 2018 at a religious conference in St. George, Utah. And the event was part of a preparedness and prophecy-focused series called Preparing a People, and it attracted LDS church members interested in end times teachings. And Chad was one of the speakers at this conference, presenting his apocalyptic theories and promoting his novels about the end of the world and all of his, you know, afterlife prophecies that he's been having. And Lori would attend with a close friend, Melanie Gibb, and another associate, Zulema Pastenis. And Laurie at this point had already been reading Chad's fiction and was a fan of his doomsday podcast appearances. And when she heard him speak in person, she was immediately drawn in by his charisma and unconventional prophetic claims. And according to later testimony, when Laurie and Chad were introduced at the conference, it was as if a spark ignited.

A just giant shitstorm of a spark. A spark that would start a damn forest fire. So they would spend the weekend talking intensive. about spiritual visions and their belief that they had met before in previous lifetimes. And flattered and intrigued, Lori absorbed Chad's every word. Just gobbled it up. Despite the fact that both of them were married to other people at the time, Lori to Charles Vallow and Chad to Tammy Daybell,

they formed an instant secret connection. And it's reported that during their very first conversation, Chad declared Lori was an eternal being of great sense. significance. I've been told my eyes look pretty, but not that. That might get me. Just kidding. No, these people are literally insane. But this kind of flattery and grand destiny just immediately appealed to Lori, who already had a few screws loose, if you know what I mean, and who already begun to view herself as someone with a special role in the end times. So in the weeks and months following that initial meeting, Lori and Chad's relationship escalated quickly and in alarming secrecy. And they began

corresponding regularly. So it started as discussions about scripture and Chad's unusual beliefs soon turned into open affection. And by late 2018, Chad and Lori did their best to see each other despite living in different states and still being married to other people and Chad being in Idaho and Lori being in Arizona. But Chad would visit Arizona to see Lori under various pretenses. And Lori made trips north to Idaho as well. And it was during this period that Chad, who fancied himself a prophet, claimed he had received revelations about Lori. Very convenient, very convenient, Chad. And he told her that she was an exalted godlike being appointed to carry out a special

mission in the coming apocalypse, and that he, Chad, had been her husband in multiple past lives. Ah man, it goes like so far beyond narcissism to think this of yourself, to just like come up with this and try to convince somebody else of this. And then you just got to meet somebody equally as narcissistic of you as you and probably just not well. But it's bonkers to me. Anyway, according to Lori's close friend, Melanie Gibb, Chad and Lori firmly believed they had been eternally bonded and sealed by God. Transcending their current marriages.

How convenient for them. I don't think you can put that on divorce papers for a cause. But all right. So their affair intensified as Chad's prophecy grew more fantastical. And he convinced Lori that they had a grand destiny together to lead their righteous after society's imminent collapse. And they communicated in code and sometimes use burner phones to hide their frequent contact.

And Lori's husband, Charles Vallow, discovered the affair in early 2019 and confronted Lori about it. But she dismissed his concerns. Again, how convenient for her. She's being like, nah, it's crazy. That's crazy. I'm just an all-knowing being who's been,

eternally connected to this random man from Idaho. I just, I don't know, or Arizona, I don't know. And in fact, Charles grew so alarmed by Laurie's radical talk and infidelity that he filed for divorce in February of 2019. Actually citing that Lori believed she was a god preparing for Christ's second coming and had threatened to kill him if he stood in her way. I wonder what section you gotta put that under. I'd like to see that paperwork. But Laurie managed to delay the divorce by persuading Charles to reconcile shortly after. But the damage was done, and she was fully emotionally invested in Chad Daybell by then.

And as their secret romance grew, Chad bolstered Laurie's devotion by weaving an elaborate spiritual narrative around it. And he told Lori that she had been a celestial goddess in previous eras, and that he had been her divine consort. And at one point, Chad claimed Laurie was once married to the ancient biblical figure James the less, who he also claimed to be in that past life. And that Lori herself had been various historical figures of great spiritual significance, including and not limited to the wife of the angel Moroni, a key figure in LDS scripture. And he also said he was able to see their past lives together and that heavenly beings had brought them for a higher purpose. Just so much bullshit. It's just great.

It's crazy, but they're living in their little fantasy world, and that would be fine if they weren't evil, which they are. For Lori, who had long been devout, but never particularly famous or powerful, these claims were intoxicating. Because, you know, narcissist. And she embraced the role Chad gave her wholeheartedly. And by mid-2019, Lori and Chad were deeply entangled, emotionally, spiritually, and even conspiratorily. because both still had spouses at home, yet they were making plans for their future together. And they even discussed that certain people close to them might need to die because evil spirits were inhabiting them and blocking their mission.

Evil! And this is basically just a terrifying foreshadowing of what was to come. So in short, what began as an affair, rooted in fringe religious obsession, quickly evolved into a dangerous pact. And Chad and Laurie's love story would soon live a trail of broken lives and deaths in its wake. You tell yourself, no one wants your college-era band tease, but on Deep Pop, people are searching for exactly what you've got. You once paid a small fortune for them at merch stands. Now, a teenager who calls them vintage will offer that same small fortune back.

Sell them easily on Deepop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. Who knew your questionable music taste would be a money-making machine? Your style can make you cash. Start selling on Deepop, where taste recognizes taste. So Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow didn't form a formal church, if you will. But they crafted a personalized belief system so extreme that it essentially functioned like a cult within their circle.

And their doctrine was a distorted offshoot of mainstream LDS or Mormon teachings blended with new age mysticism and apocalyptic fanaticism. Say it with me. Cult, cult, cult! And central to chat in Laurie's theology was the looming end of the world. What do we know about every single cult we've ever gone over? Is that there's always an end of the world prophecy, because that's convenient for the narrative,

because you've got to be afraid of something that's coming, so you've got to believe in what these people are saying. Otherwise, you're going to die in the doomsday, whatever is. just it's like, it's dominant. It's just, he keeps happening. How does this keep happening? There's so many videos about it. Just know. Just know. If somebody comes at you and they're like, hey, by the way, you got to believe in me because the aliens are coming back and I'm, I'm Jesus 2.0 and this is going to happen. And you got to give me $10,000 and leave your whole family. It's a cult. Anyway, Chad often prophesized that the final apocalypse was imminent. And at one point,

he pinpointed July 22nd, 2020 as the date the world would end. And ah, the significant date, every single cult leader does. It's always a date. But he claimed to have special prophetic gifts, including visions of future destruction and the ability to discern people's spiritual identities. And Chad told followers and Laurie fervently believed that he had lived 31 past lives on various earth-like planets. And Laurie had lived 21 past lives, five of those with Chad as for

And this idea of reincarnation or multiple mortal probations is far outside Orthodox Mormon doctrine. But Chad insisted it was true and necessary for achieving exaltation, which is external glory. And one of the most disturbing aspects of their belief system was a cosmology of light versus dark spirits. And Chad taught that every person was either inhibited by a light spirit aligned with Jesus Christ, or a dark spirit aligned with Satan. And he even devised a numeric rating system to score an individual's spiritual lightness or darkness on a scale.

And with those deeply dark, considered to be under demonic influence. And according to Chad, if someone was taken over by a particularly evil entity, their true spirit was forced out and their body was then inhabited by a demon. So essentially rendering them a zon zombie in Chad and Laurie's terminology.

And they taught that these zombies looked like normal people, but were no longer truly alive. And the possessing dark spirit would need to be driven out or destroyed. And frighteningly, Chad and Laurie concluded that the only sure way to eradicate a zombie was to kill the host body. Thereby, releasing the person's original spirit from limbo and killing the evil spirit as well. So this lethal doctrine effectively turns certain people in their lives into targets for elimination under a twisted religious justification. And Chad also claimed to

receive continuous revelations through a veil to the spiritual world. And he told followers he could open portals to other realms and communicate with angels and even deceased beings to get instructions. How convenient for Chad. Also, what cult leader's name is Chad? If I ever follow a Chad, hit me over the head, all right? And Lori soon declared she, too, had a direct line to God. And she believed she was a prophesized, exalted goddess sent to lead the righteous in the end times, and that as such, she was not subject to earthly consequences.

Quote, she couldn't be held responsible for her actions on Earth. unquote. One friend reported Lori believed. Isn't that convenient? Wouldn't it be nice to just steal from your local Walmart, get caught, and be like, I'm not an earthly being. I'm, I'm a goddess from another planet and I've lived 31 lives. None of these rules apply to me. And they're just like, oh, got it. I got it. Enjoy the sunglasses and sweater. That's fine. Who are these people? But they both talked about certain faithful people being translated beings. essentially having transcended to a higher spiritual level that gave them powers like not needing to eat or the ability to teleport at will. Needless to say, these ideas are not taught by any official LDS doctrine.

Rather, Chad and Laurie just cherry-picked religious concepts and rewrote them to the extreme as one religious scholar observed. So to outsiders, the Debel Valo belief system sounded like wild fiction like it does to you and I, I hope. But within their echo chamber, chat in particular was very persuasive, like we see with a lot of cults. But when you're in that, when you're like feeling as low, as low, you have like nothing to your name, you're not close with family, you don't have anyone. And somebody's just lifting you up saying you're like an extraterrestrial goddess being. You're going to be like, oh my God. Really? I don't know.

I'm saying like crazy and insane and all that kind of stuff. And it is. but I also have extreme sympathy for people that don't harm people. I don't have any sympathy for Lori and Chad, by the way. I think they're evil pieces of shit, but, you know, I digress. But anyway, Chad, he was persuasive. He spoke with calm conviction about secret church history, lost scriptures, and his own visions. And Lori became his most ardent disciple.

And then an equal partner in promoting these radical beliefs. And they began performing prayer rituals. called castings, essentially exorcism ceremonies where a group would pray and use energy to expel evil spirits from identified, quote unquote, dark individuals. These sessions often targeted people close to Lori whom she had begun to view as obstacles or threats. And those people were her husband Charles and even her own children, for example. So through 2019, Chatt Chad and Laurie increasingly lived in a self-constructed world of prophecy and paranoia, where they alone knew God's true plan, and where extreme actions could be not only justified,

but divinely mandated. So Chad and Laurie's fringe ideas didn't emerge in a vacuum. They were nurtured by an existing network of doomsday preachers and prepper conferences. And in the LDS community, there was a circuit of podcasts, books, and lecture series under themes like preparing a people that catered to those fascinated by end of day's prophecy so it didn't just come from anywhere it was you know the LDS was preaching this to some capacity but Chad and Laurie just took it to the extreme so Chad became a minor celebrity in these circles and he spoke at events that appeared on podcast discussing his near-death experiences and end of time's visions attracting followers who found him insightful or at least entertaining. And the Preparing a People organization, which was essentially a

media slash podcast group, hosted many of these conferences and initially featured Chad prominently. And Lori Ballo, for her part, eagerly jumped into this world. So around 2017 to 2018, she was increasingly reading books on LDS prophecy and listening to podcasts by excommunicated LDS members who claimed special knowledge of the end times. And it was through the these channels, Laurie met individuals like Melanie Gipp, who co-hosted a podcast with her, and Zulema Pastennis, sorry if I'm saying your name wrong, who shared or at least tolerated these extreme spiritual discussions. So Lori was soon co-hosting podcasts alongside Chad and others, spreading their doctrine to online audiences. And on these shows, they spoke about urgent preparedness,

spiritual warfare against demons, and coming transformation of the world. And they started referring to a select group of believers as the church of the firstborn, which Chad claimed to lead as the head prophet. How convenient for Chad. And it's important to note this was not an official church, but rather an informal sect or a group that recognized Chad's authority. So within this inner circle, a small but devoted following formed by late 2018 and into 2019. And participants included Lori's brother, Alex Cox, Lori's niece, Melanie Polowski, Melanie Gibb, and Zulema Pestinnis, among others. And they would meet to discuss spiritual revelations, perform the aforementioned casting ceremonies, and reinforce each other's belief in Chad and Laurie's special roles.

And Lori and Chad taught their followers how to detect if someone was possessed by a dark spirit, or the so-called zombies, and would even identify specific people as being taken taken over by evil. And disturbingly, by mid-2019, they had labeled several people close to them dark or zombies, including Lori's husband, Charles Vallow, Lori's children, Tiley and JJ, and Chad's wife, Tammy. And Lori's nephew-in-law, Brandon Bardrow. This all just sounds like a very convenient ploy to get the people closest to them and who

are in the way, out of the way. a.k.a. fucking evil. And to the group, these individuals were obstacles to God's plan and perhaps better off dead. And Alex Cox, in particular, was deeply influenced. And he believed wholly in the threat of demonic possession and saw himself as Lori's protector or warrior, ready to deal with these zombies if necessary. The movement around Chad and Laurie had all the hallmarks of a cult. As we know, We have a charismatic duo claiming exclusive truth, apocalyptic urgency, dehumanization of outsiders as evil, and the encouragement of extreme measures for a higher cause. And as one commentator put it, Chad and Laurie essentially created a quote-unquote Mormon fanfic,

a radicalized, fictionalized spin on LDS beliefs taken to violent extremes. So by the time 2019 rolled around, this doomsday cult, mindset had fully consumed them and their core followers. And it was only a matter of time before these beliefs turned into action with deadly, deadly consequences. So 2019 saw an escalation of events around Chad Daybell and Lori Valo, as people close to them began to die or disappear under suspicious circumstances. And the timeline of key incidences is as follows.

So in early 2019, Laurie's marriage to Charles was rapidly deteriorating, as we know. And in January of 2019, police recalled when Charles grew concerned about Laurie's mental state, because she had made bizarre claims about being a divine being and vanished for nearly two months, abandoning her kids and her husband, only to return as if nothing happened. And in February of 2019, Charles Vallow filed for divorce, and he told the court that Lori believed she was a god preparing for the second coming, and that the apocalypse was near, and that she had threatened to kill him if he interfered with her mission. And although Charles later withdrew the divorce petition hoping to reconcile, he confided in family

that he feared for his safety, and Lori's behavior was growing more and more extreme under Chad's influence. And she even told Charles he had become a dark spirit named Ned Schneider, who had taken over his body. I didn't realize these zombies had names. It's strange but okay. But these ominous accusations just set the stage for what was to come next. So on a summer morning in Chandler, Arizona, Lori's brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed Charles Fallow,

Lori's fourth husband. The official story given to police was that Charles had come to pick up JJ, his kid, at Lori's house, gotten into confrontation and hit Alex with a baseball bat, leading Alex to shoot Charles in supposed self-defense. And Lori and Tiley were present in the house at the time of this altercation, though allegedly Tiley had left the house with JJ before the shooting occurred. But after the shooting, Lori made no effort to call 911. And it was Alex who phoned the police about 43 minutes later,

by which time Charles lay dead on the floor. An investigators found Lori's demeanor strangely casual, And she was described as smiling and joking while police processed the scene. An attitude one detective described as, quote unquote, oddly nonchalant, given her husband had just been killed. And no charges were filed against Alex at the time, as police initially accepted the self-defense claim. However, subsequent evidence deeply undercut that story.

And text messages that were later uncovered show Lori had encouraged Alex days earlier to be like Nephi, who was a. a book of Mormon figure who righteously killed an evil man. This was apparently referring to Charles. And Zulema, Alex's future wife, but at the time, girlfriend, testified that when she asked Alex how he felt about killing Charles, he said he didn't feel bad.

Quote, Zulema, he was a zombie, unquote. A man lost his life because this monster bitch convinced her brother that he was a zombie? What is happening? This was not long ago. This was a few years ago. But this indicates Alex was acting under the shared belief that Charles was possessed by a dark entity

and that killing him was justified, divinely justified, even merciful in some fucked up way. And Charles' death ruled self-defense in 2019 would later be revisited by authorities. So after Charles' death, the dominoes continued to fall quickly. See, Lori had access to $1 million in life that Charles carried, or so she thought. Because unbeknownst to her, Charles had changed the beneficiary

to his sister Kay Woodcock in early 2019, explicitly because he feared Lori might kill him for the money, which just makes this whole thing even more sad. Like I know that they had motive because he was a zombie or something, but I'm sure the money probably helped with that. And for her to do that and just to figure out there's no money in it is just, I mean, glad she got no money out of it, but like, God, just this world is filled with evil people.

So within weeks of Charles shooting, Lori dramatically altered her life. And by late August 2019, Lori left Arizona and moved to Rexburg, Idaho, bringing Tiley, who's 16 at the time, and JJ, who was seven at the time, and Alex Cox with her. And Chad Daybell lived just outside Rexburg and it appears Lori was relocating to be near Chad and joined their households. And they told friends they were gathering in Rexburg because it would be a place of refuge during the coming apocalypse. So Laurie rented a townhouse in Rexburg with Alex Cox, indicating they continued to operate as a team. And Alex would eventually move into his own townhouse adjacent to Lori. But shortly after the move to Idaho, Lori's two children who were the last major

Obstacles to the couple's future vanished under mysterious circumstances. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount, safe driver discount, new vehicle discount, storage discount, legacy how many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. Tiley Ryan, who is 16, was last seen on September 8th, 2019. And on that day, Lori, Alex, Tiley, and JJ took a day trip to Yellowstone National Park. And a photograph of them at the park entrance is the final image of Tiley alive.

And data from Alex Cox's cell phone shows that early the next morning, September 9th, Alex was at Chad Daybell's backyard property for roughly two hours, specifically in the area of the Daybell family Pet Cemetery. And that same morning, Chad sent a curious to his wife, Tammy, claiming he had shot a raccoon and buried it in the pet cemetery. Investigators now believe this was Chad's cover story for why he had dug a grave on the property. In reality, on September 9th, Tiley's life had likely already been taken, murdered by Alex and or Chad, and buried, dendestinely in Chad's yard.

And Tiley's remains would later be found burned at the site. It's just disgusting. I'm just like, I can't believe these people exist. I cannot believe these people exist. Yeah, it's horrifying. And my heart goes out to Tiley and the family that actually loves her. And on September 22nd, 2019, J.J. Valo was seen alive for what would be the last time. JJ, a seven-year-old, had been attending school in Rexburg. Lori enrolled him on September 3rd, but withdrew him after just three weeks, saying she would homeschool him.

And on September 22nd, JJ was at Lori's apartment when friends, Melanie Gibb, and her boyfriend were visiting. And they later reported that Alex Cox carried a seemingly sleeping JJ into the house that night. And by the next morning, September 23rd, JJ was lonely. gone. And Lori told visiting friends that Alex had taken JJ away because the boy had been misbehaving. But in truth, investigators believe JJ was killed that night of September 22nd, exfixated by Alex Cox. And phone records show Alex went to Chad's property again on September 23rd for only a short period, likely to bury JJ's body in a shallow grave. So with Tiley and JJ now missing, Lori began a campaign of deceit to pretend everything was fine.

She never reported her children missing, by the way. Instead, she just lied to everyone about their whereabouts. And Lori told some people that Tiley was away at BYU and told others that J.J. was with relatives back in Arizona. And at late September 2019, Lori even asked her friend Melanie Gibb to tell police, if asked, that J.J. was staying with her in Arizona. So it's not just their mother. It is friends, it is adults co-conspiriting together

about the murder of children. And this falsehood was tested in late November when police indeed came knocking. So not long after the children vanished, another violent act struck someone connected to Lori. And that was Brandon Burdrow, the ex-husband of Lori's niece, Melanie. And on October 2nd in Gilbert, Arizona,

Brandon was shot at in front of his home by someone driving a Jeep registered to late Charles Fallow. And the bullet narrowly missed Brandon's head. And he survived and called police identifying the vehicle. And Brandon had been vocal that Melanie fell in with Lori's cult and that he feared for his life. And authorities suspect Alex Cox was the trigger man in the attempted murder, likely on Lori and Chad's orders using Charles Jeep. And this was part of what prosecutors later described as Lori's pattern. Eliminate people seen as dark or as obstacles. And Brandon might have been perceived as a dark influence keeping Melanie from fully joining Lori's fold. And he was also the beneficiary of a life insurance policy that Melanie might gain if he died. Just cult. Classic cult. Just gathering people's

money and gathering people to do their bidding. Just evil. And Melanie had embraced Lori and Chad's teachings, and she abruptly moved to Rexburg in October to be closer to them. So while Brandon survived, the shooter was not immediately caught. And this incident would remain unsolved until the broader case unraveled. So on the evening of October 9th, Chad's wife, Tamara or Tammy Daybell, had a frightening encounter. And she called 911 and reported that a masked man approached her in her driveway and shot at her with what she thought was a paintball gun. So Tammy was shaken but unharmed, as the.

The gun apparently misfired or just missed. And she posted about the incident on Facebook, describing the mass figure and asking if anyone knew of teenagers playing pranks. And investigators now believe this was Alex Cox's first attempt to murder Tammy on behalf of Chad and Laurie. And cell phone records place Alex in the vicinity of the day bell home that night.

And Laurie, Zulema, and Melanie were together when they received a phone call informing them of the attempt. And Zulema recalled Lori react with anger saying, quote, he can't do anything right, unquote, likely referring to Alex failing to kill Tammy. So this foiled attempt was a grim, grim foreshadowing. Because 10 days later, tragedy would strike. And Tammy Daybell, aged 49, died suddenly in her sleep on October 19th, at the Daybell home in Salem, Idaho. And Chad claimed Tammy had retired the night before with a terrible cough and just never woke up. And when he called 911, he described it as a peaceful

death. But Tammy was allegedly a very healthy, active woman, so this was incredibly shocking. Nevertheless, the Fremont County coroner initially ruled Tammy's death natural. And this was without an autopsy based on Chad's account that she had been ill, which is insane giving the overall numerous deaths that are happening around this family. But Tammy's body would be buried in Springville, Utah on October 22nd, and the family held a brief memorial in Idaho as well. At the time, no one suspected foul play for some reason, except perhaps those in Chad and Laurie's inner circle, of course,

because Laurie had been telling friends for months that Chad's wife would die early. And she even confidently stated Tammy would be out of the picture soon, and Chad had supposedly foreseen Tammy's death, and now it appeared those predictions, came true. He murdered her. So investigators believe Tammy was murdered by exfixiation and likely Chad and Alex conspired to make it happen. And when Tammy's body was exhumed in December of 2019, a later autopsy concluded she died by homicidal suffocation. Not a health issue. So just two weeks

after Tammy's death, Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow were married in an idealic beach ceremony in in Kauai, Hawaii. Married. Two weeks after. Just not suspicious. I know that she was exhumed and they found it out later, but my god, they're just screaming, we killed her. And how disrespectful.

It's, again, just evil, evil, evil, evil, evil, evil people. And the destination wedding was small and quiet. And Laurie sported a white dress and a new ring. And significantly, Lori had purchased her wedding ring on October 2nd, weeks before Tammy even died. And that ring was ordered via Charles Vallow's Amazon account, for late husband's Amazon account. These people can't get more disgusting.

I can't, I can't. It was just an eerie detail showing all sorts of premeditation. And for Chad to remarry so quickly was shocking to those who knew him. Because Tammy had been his wife of 29 years, And yet within days, he was exchanging vows with Lori on a sunny beach in Hawaii. And back in Idaho, Chad told neighbors that Lori was an empty nester with no young kids, and Lori claimed Tiley had died years earlier, which are blatant falsehoods to cover up the absence of their children, their deceased children.

And in a final twist to 2019's cascade of suspicious deaths, Alex Cox himself, died on December 12th, 2019, at the age of 51. And earlier that month, events had started catching up with Lori and Chad. And Alex had married Zulema Past Dennis on December 1st, and they were in the Phoenix area, specifically Gilbert, Arizona. And on December 11th, news broke that Tammy Daybell's body had been exhumed for an autopsy. And Chad and Lori reportedly called Alex that day, informing him and perhaps panicking about what might be found, you know, the consequences of their fucking actions.

And according to Zilemma's later account, that night, Alex was extremely upset and mumbled to her, quote, I think I'm being their fall guy, unquote. Yeah, you're their fucking puppet, you idiot, which I have no sympathy for him either. He murdered kids. And less than 24 hours later, after he said that to his new wife, Alex collapsed in his new wife's bathroom. and died. And the cause was officially blood clots in his lungs, complicated by high blood pressure. And the Maricopa County Medical Examiner ruled Alex's death natural causes. However, given the

extraordinary pattern of deaths around Laurie, some have wondered if Alex was poisoned or if stress simply caught up with him. I'm gonna guess he was murdered, but what do I know? I can only Put the pieces together. You know, one plus one equals two, I think. But either way, Alex died with many secrets. And Zilema mentioned that a few days prior, Alex told her he had hidden a bag of money in their closet in case anything happens to me.

It's as if Alex foresaw that the walls were closing in on him. So by the end of 2019, Chad and Lori had left a wake of tragedy. Lori's husband, Charles, was dead. Lori's two children were missing. and unbeknownst to anyone then murdered, and Chad's wife Tammy was dead, and Alex, who had likely carried out two of those killings, was now dead as well. But authorities were finally on their trail, thanks and large, part to concerned family members asking tough questions. So the stage was set for the investigation to break the case open. So after months of deceit and evasion by Chad and Laurie, the disappearance of the two children, JJ and Tiley became impossible to hide.

And law enforcement spurred by worried relatives, began an intense investigation in early 2020 that would ultimately expose the couple's horrific deeds. So extended family sounded the alarm. Kay and Larry Woodcock, JJ's grandparents, had grown increasingly worried after not hearing from the normally bubbly seven-year-old for months. And Kay Woodcock, Charles Vallow's sister, knew something was very, very wrong when Lori cut off all communication. And on November 26 of 2019, prompted by the Woodcock's, the Rexburg Police Department performed a welfare check at Lori's townhouse in Idaho, looking for JJ. And Lori coolly told

officers that JJ was safe and staying with a friend, Melanie Gibb, in Arizona. So police would reach out to Melanie Gibb, who would lie to police on behalf of Lori, because Lori told her to do so. But luckily, she soon recanted and revealed that JJ was not with her. at all. And by the next day, November 27th, Rexford police returned with a search warrant, only to find that Laurie and Chad had fled. And the couple took off from Idaho, leaving behind all of Lori's kids' belongings and later were traced to Hawaii. And this abandonment of their homes and children's stuff raised every red flag for investigators. Finally. So on December 20th, 2019, police publicly announced that JJ and Tiley were missing and in danger. And this press release and

subsequent plea for tips generated a huge outpouring of information from the public. And the mysterious case of the doomsday mom, as the media dubbed Lori, and her missing kids dominated headlines. And investigators revealed that they believed the children's disappearance was linked to Tammy Daybell's suspicious death. And Chad and Lori, through a lawyer, issued a statement on December 23rd, denying wrongdoing and professing their love for their kids, but notably did not produce the children or say where they were. Spaspicious. And as a year ended, police were openly criticizing Lori and Chad's lack of cooperation,

calling it astonishing and pleading with them to do the right thing. But remember, they're evil pieces of shit. So the search intensified and the FBI became involved. And on January 3, 2020, investigators with the FBI's assistance raided Chad Daybell's Salem, Idaho property for the first time. Seizing computers, cell phones, journals, and doctors. documents as evidence. And on January 7th, Larry and Kay Woodcock flew to Rexenberg and held a very emotional press conference, offering $20,000 in reward for any information leading to JJ entirely safe return. And the Woodcock's implored anyone with knowledge to come forward. With Larry famously pleading, quote, all I want is just to see those children, unquote. And this public appeal kept the pressure on law enforcement and on Chad and Lori, who remained in hiding in Hawaii. So authorities finally pinned down Lori and Chad's location in Kauai, Hawaii.

And police in Kauaii served Lori on January 25th with a court order from Idaho demanding that she produced JJ and Tiley within five days to prove they were alive and well. Why is it five days? Why isn't it fucking immediately? These are kids. I don't understand our judicial system. I really don't. But this was essentially a last chance given to Lori. And if it was all a misunderstanding, she could clear it up by simply showing the children. The deadline of January 30th came and went, and Lori failed to present the kids to the authorities. And during this Hawaii period, East Idaho news reporter Nate Eaton dramatically confronted Lori and Chad in a parking lot asking them point blank. Can you tell me where your kids are? Where are your kids? No comment? They've been missing

for four months. You have nothing to say? You're over here in Hawaii? Where are your children? And the A clip of Lori smirking and stonewalling went viral. Just evil bitch. Further painting her in the public eye as either delusional or nefarious. But with Lori defying the court order, Idaho authorities prepared to move against her. So Kauai police acting on an Idaho warrant

arrested Lori Valo on February 20th. And in early March 2020, Lori was flown back to Rexburg in handcuffs, where crowds and media awaited her arrival. But despite arrests, Lori still refused to disclose the fate or whereabouts of JJ and Tiley, and Chad, who was not immediately arrested, continued to support her.

But suspicion was mounting that the children had met a grim end, especially as no verified sightings of them had occurred since September. But still, investigators held out hope that they might find the kids alive as they continued gathering evidence. But as we know, they wouldn't. So during the spring, the case quietly progressed as prosecutors and law enforcement built their case. And they combed through digital data and newly obtained evidence.

And in April of 2020, a letter from the Idaho Attorney General became public, revealing that Laurie and Chad were now under investigation, not just for desertion, but for conspiracy to commit murder in the case of Charles Vallow, Tiley, JJ, and Tammy Daybell. And this was a strong signal that authorities suspected Chad and Laurie of being behind multiple deaths. Meanwhile, Lori remained jailed, unable to post her lower $1 million bail bond. And Chad had quietly returned to Idaho, yet to be arrested. And the investigation's breakthrough came on June 9th. Acting on new evidence, likely a combination of Alex's cell phone,

GPS data, and Chad's odd texts about the raccoon, the FBI, Rexburg police, and Fremont County Sheriff's Office swarmed Chad Daybell's property with a search warrant. And they focused on areas of interest in the yard identified via technology and previous searches. And within a few hours, investigators made that gruesome discovery. And that was the human remains buried in a shallow grave on Chad's land. So by midday, as this news broke, Chad Daybell attempted to flee. And he got in his SUV and drove off. But officers stopped him about a mile away and took him into custody.

And the remains were sent to the lab for identification. And on June 13th, the heart-wrenching confirmation came to the public. And that was that the remains were those of seven-year-old, J. Valo and 16-year-old Tiley Ryan. And the way in which they were buried matched the disturbing activities implied by Alex's September phone pings and Chad's texts about shooting a raccoon.

And for months, Chad and Lori had lied to everyone as their children's bodies lay hidden in Chad's backyard. But the discovery answered the agonizing question of where the kids were, but raised another, and that was why. And this was a question that would be addressed in court. And a memorial was later set up on the fence just down the road from Chad Daybell's property in Salem, Idaho, where the remains of Tiley and JJ were recovered.

And the memorial's photographs, flowers, and a sign reading Justice for Tiley and JJ, bore witness to the end of a desperate search and the beginning of a quest for justice. So on June 9th, immediately after the remains were found, police booked to Chad Daybell into Fremont County Jail. And for a brief time, both Lori and Chad sat in Idaho's jails. accused but not yet formally charged with murder. But now with the children's bodies recovered, the case shifted fully into criminal prosecution phase. And the mystery was over,

and the task now was to hold those responsible to account. And the heinous nature of these crimes, philicide and spousal murder driven by bizarre cult beliefs, would ensure that the trials to come garnered international attention. So from the outset, the Valo Debel case was one fueled and followed by a massive online audience. Both Chad and Laurie had notable digital footprints that played into this investigation and public fascination.

Chad had an extensive online presence through his doomsday fiction and prepper community activities, and he appeared on podcasts, spoke in YouTube videos from preparing a people conferences and moderated forums about end time prophecies. And through these channels, he reached a wide audience of LDS fringe enthusiasts even before his crimes.

And Chad co-hosted a podcast and gave interviews where he calmly discussed his visions of the apocalypse. And these recordings later became key for investigators to understand his mindset and for the public to hear. In his own voice, the extreme beliefs that underpinned the murders. And Lori, allegedly, as her accounts have since been deleted, too, had been active on social media, though in a different way.

Because prior to things falling apart, Lori's Facebook and Instagram accounts painted a picture of a fun-loving mom, and she shared smiling photos of Tiley and JJ on family trips and posts about her faith. But after meeting Chad, Lori's social media shifted, and she posted cryptic spiritual messages, and by late 2019, she had gone mostly dark online. But still, digital evidence of their activities was everywhere. And one particularly important aspect was the digital trail of their travels. And when Lori and Chad abruptly left Idaho and flew to Hawaii in late 2019, they left a trail of electronic records.

Things like airline bookings, hotel check-ins, and social media snapshots. And remarkably, they appeared almost carefree in Hawaii, seemingly untroubled by the storm building around them. And Lori even made inquiries about renting a place in Hawaii for long-term, as if planning a new life, as if the consequences wouldn't catch up with them. All the while, her children were nowhere in sight, and she knew that they were gone. The photos of Laurie and Chad and Hawaii surfaced on social media and news sites enraging the public. Because how could these two relax in paradise while refusing to say where their kids were?

So these images and posts became a huge source of pressure. Law enforcement was monitoring their online moves as well. And one could say that Chad and Laurie's own social media trail helped incriminate them, as it showed Lori basking in wedding bliss when she claimed her kids were safe elsewhere. And Chad and Lori's online communications provided evidence as well. And investigators subpoenaed their cloud data, finding correspondence between the two where they discussed spiritual justifications for getting rid of obstacles.

And they found that Chad had texted Lori love stories in the days after Charles' death. Essentially chapters of a steamy James and Elena romance novel paralleling their affair. And they also found that Lori used Charles Amazon account to shop for things like a fucking, wedding ring. And transactions time stamped while Tammy was still alive. And all these digital breadcrumbs became a crucial part of the evidence that authorities pieced together to reveal the conspiracy. And the online religious community that initially supported Chad and Lurie also turned on them as the scandal broke. And websites and forums that had once hosted Chad's writings suddenly disavowed them. Oh no. Don't want karma to bite them. But in my opinion, they're just as bad.

And podcasts that Lori and Chad appeared on were removed or flooded with comments from horrified listeners once the news of the missing children spread. So while the internet and social platforms helped them gain influence at first, in the end, those same platforms amplified their downfall, spreading awareness and outrage about their crimes at lightning speed. And as the case gained notoriety, thousands of citizen sleuths across the country took to the internet to help unravel the mystery. because this was a true crime saga that played out in real time on social media. And Facebook groups dedicated to finding JJ and Tiley sprang up almost overnight in late 2019. And these groups quickly amassed members who traded theories, shared public documents, and kept the spotlight on the missing kids. So these Facebook communities just became a crowdsourced research hub. And Reddit was another platform buzzing with activity.

And a subreddit dedicated to the case featured detailed timelines and analysis compiled by, users, some of whom had investigative or legal backgrounds and could provide insight into court procedures and charges. And contributors on Reddit painstakingly pieced together the family tree, explained LDS doctrinal references that popped up and even crowdsourced a timeline of events. And they debated motives and means, all while keeping the case in the public eye. So every development from indictments to court hearings to leak documents was immediately dissected by thousands of eyes. And not, Nothing Lori or Chad did escaped notice once this internet army mobilized. So this groundswell of online interest had real impacts.

And it likely pressured law enforcement and prosecutors to act swiftly and transparently, knowing the public was closely watching. And the social media fervor also meant that potential witnesses or people with information were more likely to come forward. And Lori's friend, Melanie Gibb, who had initially lied for Lori, contacted police in early December of 20, to admit Lori had asked her to lie about JJ's whereabouts. And Melanie's crucial information about that was a turning point that helped police zero in on Lori's deception. And though not confirmed, it's plausible that seeing the case everywhere and people clamoring for truth gave her the push to do the right thing.

But not all citizens sleuthing was helpful. In some internet, vigilantes started spreading rumors and misinformation, which is a common pitfall in high-profile cases. by and large, however, the Facebook and Reddit communities kept their focus on facts, often sharing links to official documents and credible news sources. And the true crime community's mobilization ensured that national media and thus authorities couldn't drop the ball in the case. So citizen sleuths had followed Valo and Daybell as they traveled to Hawaii,

sharing updates with their followers and law enforcement and ultimately helping lead to her arrest, which is insane and awesome. It was very much a 21st century. phenomenon. So the successful prosecution of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell hinged heavily on a mountain of digital evidence, because investigators gathered an extraordinary array of electronic data, which, when women together, created an incontrovertible tapestry of guilt. Because these people were fucking idiots, thankfully. And cell phone, GPS, and location data was perhaps the most damning technological evidence. Because the FBI cellular analysis,

survey team, otherwise known as cast, poured over Alex Cox's phone records. And these records provided time stamps and GPS coordinates showing exactly where Alex's phone was during critical moments. And Alex's phone placed him in Chad's backyard for two hours on the morning of September 9th, as we know, which lined up with the burial of Tiley. And on September 23rd, Alex's phone pinged near Chad's pond for only 17 minutes correlating with the time frame of JJ's burial. And this kind of hard data was presented in court via detailed maps, which were essentially tech eyewitnesses to the crimes. And without it, Chad and Laurie might have continued to claim ignorance about what had happened to the kids. But it's hard to argue with a GPS dot showing your co-conspirator's phone in your yard,

right when a murder likely occurred. Not to mention text messages, emails, and even metadata from photos also played a huge role in the case. As investigators were covered a text, Chad's had sent to Tammy on September 9th about burying a raccoon, as we know. And that harmless sounding message became sinister in context, establishing that Chad was trying to cover up activity on his property. And police also found text exchanges between Lori Chad and Alex discussing people by code names or referring to evil spirits. And in one haunting set of messages, Lori and Chad mused about, quote, a perfectly orchestrated

plan to take the children, unquote. suggesting premeditation of the murders. And Charles Vallow's old emails like the ones to Tammies, and Laurie and Chad's texts under aliases were all recovered through search warrants. And these provided direct insight into their plotting and state of mind. And financial records accessed digitally offered more proof of motive. Because investigators showed that after Charles' death, Laurie immediately attempted to claim his life insurance,

only to find the beneficiary had been changed to Kay Woodcock, as mentioned before. Similarly, they documented Chad's rush to increase Tammy's life insurance in September of 2019 to the maximum allowed. And Lori also kept collecting social security benefits that were issued for Tiley and JJ from the deaths of Joseph Ryan and Charles, respectively, even after the children were dead. You're a disgusting human being. But this just established a financial motive. And beyond religious reasons, they stood to gain money from these deaths. And these digital financial logs painted a picture of greed. And surveillance footage from various locations filled in more blanks.

And investigators obtained CCTV video from the self-storage facility in Rexburg where Lori had hastily rented a unit in October of 2019. And the footage showed Lori, Alex, and Chad in various combinations, visiting the unit multiple times, dropping off a number of different things, including boxes and children's items like bikes and scooters and more. And this indicated Lori was stashing, the kids' belongings, perhaps to hide evidence of their absence. And police later found that storage unit untouched, full of JJ and Tiley's keepsakes abandoned. So this whole case, Lori and Chad's

case, was very much a 21st century investigation, because without the cell phone records, computer forensics, and online paper trail, this might have remained a circumstantial case. And with them, law enforcement was able to assemble a meticulous chronology and motive for each crime. And if If there is a heart in this tragic saga, it is embodied by Kay and Larry Woodcock, the grandparents of little JJ Valo. And Kay is the biological grandmother of JJ, and she's Charles Valo's sister. And she and Larry cared for JJ as an infant before Charles and Lori adopted him. And the Woodcock's adored JJ and remained very involved in his life even after adoption. And it was Kay Woodcock's early suspicion that first alerted the world that JJ entirely were in danger.

And in the months after Charles July 2019 death, Lori had all but cut off the Woodcocks from contact with JJ, offering one thin excuse after another. But by late summer of 2019, Kay sent something was amiss. And at first, she thought Lori might be having it a breakdown or hiding the kids due to some custody dispute. But as weeks turned into months with only vague updates, Kay's worry deepened.

And come fall, Kay began reaching out to authorities in both Arizona and Idaho. reporting that she couldn't reach her grandson. So it was Kay's tenacity that directly led Rexburg police to perform the late November 2019 welfare check that exposed the lies about the children's whereabouts. And when the children's remains were discovered in June 2020, Kay and Larry were absolutely devastated.

Yet even in their grief, they stood front and center at press briefings. And while it wasn't the outcome they had hoped, at least now they could lay the kids to rest. and the Woodcocks continued to be pillars of strength during Lori's trial in 2023. And they attended nearly every single hearing. And Kay even took the witness stand to recount

how Charles had confided in her before his death that he feared Lori's cult-like ideas. And Larry gave a powerful victim impact statement telling her directly, I wish I was there to look the murderous and the eyes. I'm unable to. I will say this. Murderous?

You are nothing. nothing, you're a murderer, you're a narcissist, psychopath, delusional, murder. All you need to say, well said. And the Woodcock's unwavering fight for truth not only cracked the case open, but kept the memory of JJ and Tiley alive to the public. And then there's Colby Ryan. And Colby Ryan is Lori's eldest child, born from her second marriage, and the older half-brother to Tiley and adoptive brother to JJ.

And Colby's role in this tragedy is complex. Because he loved his mother, yet ultimately he became a key figure in questioning her and aiding investigators. And initially, when suspicions first arose, Colby defended Lori. Yet Lori had told Colby a variety of lies. At one point, she claimed Tiley was busy at college and that JJ was with his grandparents, and Colby just wanted to believe her. But by late 2019, he grew alarmed, and he realized he hadn't actually spoken to Tiley in a really long time. And the last texts he got from Tiley's phone in the fall were strangely stilted, not in her voice and full of odd excuses.

So Colby told police that when he expressed worry and text to Tiley, he got brief replies saying she was safe but busy, which struck him as very unlike his sister. And those messages were likely Lori or someone else impersonating Tiley after she was already dead. And as 2020 began and Lori refused to tell anyone where the kids were, Colby publicly broke his silence. And in media interviews, a distraught Colby pleaded with Lori to do the right thing and tell what happened. And he recorded heart-wrenching YouTube videos addressing his mom, saying she wasn't the same person and begging her to save her children's lives by revealing the truth. And these public statements from Colby were significant, and they undercut Lori's narrative that everything was fine. But Colby would fully cooperate with investigators. And perhaps Colby's most dramatic contribution came in mid-2020,

when he agreed to participate in a recorded jailhouse phone call with Lori once she was arrested. And this call was later played for the jury at Lori's trial. And in it, Colby emotionally confronts his mother, demanding she tell him if his siblings are alive. And Lori evades and offers bizarre religious platitudes. At one point, Colby tells her that God will punish her for the things that she has done, and Lori shockingly just laughs on the phone because, you know, she's fucking evil. And that disturbing audio lets jurors hear Lori's coldness and detachment in her own voice. And Colby telling her, I don't know a murderous mother,

drove home how far into delusion Lori had sunk. But he no longer knew who she was. And it was powerful evidence of Lord. Lori's lack of remorse or accountability. Just strengthening the prosecution's case that she was the mastermind, not an unwitting dupe of Chad. So by the time of Lori's 2023 trial, Colby was firmly in the role of survivor advocate,

and he took to the stand as a witness for the state, introducing the family to the jury and describing the love he had for Tiley and JJ, painting a human picture of the victims beyond the grisly details. And he recounted how Lori had been loving mom when he was young, younger, but how around 2018 he saw radical change as she got into Chad's teachings. And his testimony about Lori's personality shift and the way she'd start talking about zombies and evil spirits just set the stage for understanding the motive. And he expressed grief and also anger, saying that Tiley and JJ deserved so much better.

And in the end, Colby, having lost his entire family, stood as a figure of resilience. And his willingness to confront his mother and cooperate with the law enforcement, was crucial in achieving justice for his siblings, showing even for within Lori's family, there were those who would hold her accountable. So Laurie was initially charged for two counts of felony child desertion for willfully abandoning Tylee and JJ and misdemeanors for obstruction,

lying to police, solicitation and contempt of court. And at her extradition hearing in Hawaii, Lori notably appeared unmoved, and she ultimately waived extradition and was flown back to Idaho on March 5th, 2020, under armed guard. And in her initial Idaho court appearance, the judge reduced bail from $5 million to $1 million

after the defense emphasized Lori's low flight risk as she was prominent in the public eye. But unable to postpone, as we know, Lori remained in jail. And importantly, at this point, she was not yet charged with murder or conspiracy to murder, as the authorities were still assembling that case. Chad would be booked on two felony counts

of concealment of evidence, and or destruction of evidence for hiding the bodies of Tiley and JJ. And in his first court appearance, Chad's bail was also set to $1 million, with both Laurie and Chad behind bars by mid-2020. And prosecutors moved methodically to upgrade charges as new evidence came in and grand juries convened. And initially, Lori and Chad faced a somewhat convoluted list of charges. Lori had child desertion, obstruction, and related counts while Chad had evidence concealment, And over the summer of 2020, additional charges were tacked on.

And in June, Lori was also charged with a conspiracy to conceal evidence once it was clear she and Chad acted together. So everyone anticipated more serious charges pending the completion of Tammy's autopsy and further investigation. And in early 2021, authorities in Fremont County, where Tammy died and Madison County, where the kids were killed, coordinated to present the case to a grand jury. So on May 24th, 2021, an Idaho grand jury indicted Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell on multiple counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. And finally, directly accusing them of killing 17-year-old Tiley and 7-year-old JJ and 49-year-old Tammy Daybell. And this was a sweeping indictment covering all three murders as well as related charges of insurance fraud for Chad collecting Tammy's life insurance. And grand theft for Lori continuing to draw social social security. security benefits on the kids after their deaths.

And at a press conference on May 25th, prosecutors made the stunning announcement public, outlining how Lori, Chad, and Alex Cox, now deceased, conspired in a plot driven by radical beliefs and greed. Essentially, they allege that Lori and Chad used their cult-like religious teachings to justify murdering Lori's children and Chad's wife, in part to remove obstacles to their relationship and also to collect financial benefits. And Lori, still in jail, and Chad, who by then had also remained incarcerated, both had initial court appearances on these new charges and pleaded, not guilty, believe it or not.

Almost like they're narcissistic psychopathic assholes or something. And in Idaho, these murder charges made them eligible for the death penalty, which the state quickly signaled it would pursue, at least for Chad. However, shortly after the indictment, there was a pause in proceedings for Lori. And in June 2021, Lori Vallow was declared incompetent to stand trial by a psychological evaluator. And the judge agreed that Lori was not currently able to assist in her own defense. So on June 8th, 2021, she was committed to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for restorative treatment. And the details of her mental condition weren't made public, but it was reported that she might have been diagnosed with a depressive or delusional disorder.

And this commitment meant to delay until she could be deemed fit. essentially hitting pause on Lori's case. But Chad's case, meanwhile, proceeded on track, and his attorneys entered not guilty pleas on his behalf on all counts and started the long process of pretrial motions. And for about 10 months, Lori underwent treatment, and by April 11, 2022, the court found Lori Valo competent to stand trial. Almost like she was stalling or something,

because she's evil or something. And she was returned to the county jail to face her charges. And at her arraignment on April 19th, 2022, Lori refused to enter a plea, standing mute. So the judge entered a not guilty plea for her on all counts. Now with both defendants on the same page legally, the case moved toward a joint trial until another twist separated them again, and prosecutors initially planned to try Lori and Chad together in one big trial,

giving the overlapping evidence. And they even announced in mid-2020 that they would seek the death penalty, for Lori as well, just as they would for Chad. However, Chad's team wanted more time to prepare, given that they had nothing to go on because he's guilty. And Chad waived his right to a speedy trial, while Lori asserted hers. So this led Chad's lawyer to successfully argue in late 2022

that the cases should be severed, and Trad's trial would be postponed, and Lurries would proceed first in 2023. Additionally, just weeks before Lori's trial in 2023, the judge removed the death penalty as a possibility for her, citing that her defense didn't have adequate time to review some late arriving DNA evidence if a death sentence was on the table.

So Lori would be tried for her life, but with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment rather than execution. So the decision to hold separate trials meant that Lori Valo DeBelle went before a jury in 2023 and Chad Daybell would follow with his in 2024. And each trial was its own media spectacle, revealing the disturbing details to the entire world.

But Laurie's trial commenced in early April of 2023 in Boise, Idaho. The prosecution painted Lori as a woman driven by money, power, and sex, and who used her doomsday cult beliefs to manipulate those around her into removing any obstacle to what she wanted. And over the course of four weeks, the state called roughly 60 witnesses, and jurors heard heart-wrenching testimony from law enforcement describing the condition of Tiley and JJ's remains, and they saw photos of the Pet Cemetery Burn Pit

where Tiley's bones had been reduced to nothing. And the graphic nature of this evidence was such that Lori at one point asked to be excused from the courtroom when photos were shown. And that request was luckily denied by the judge because she should have to look at what she did to her children.

And perhaps most damning was Lori's own recorded jail call that we talked about before with Colby, where her indifferent attitude and bizarre laughter at being accused of murder likely made a poor impression on the jury. And Lori's defense, notably, called no witness of their own, because they didn't have any. She's an evil person. But their whole defense was that Chad Daybell had a dark influence on Lori, but this would fall flat because she's an adult woman who can make her own decisions.

And on May 12, 2023, the jury found Lori Valo Daybell guilty on all counts, including the murders of Tiley and JJ. conspiracy in Tammy's murder, plus grand theft. And the evidence of her active participation in leadership in the conspiracy was overwhelming. And Lori showed little reaction as the verdict was read. And in late July 23, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, receiving five separate life sentences, three to be served consecutively for the murders, and two concurrently for conspiracy. And at her sentencing, Judge Stephen Boise admonished her in scathing terms, saying, quote, you chose the most evil and destructive path possible, unquote.

And he said, describing how she justified the killings by going down a bizarre religious rabbit hole. And Laurie, in a rambling statement, still professed her innocence and said bizarrely that her children were happy in heaven and no one was actually murdered. And remarks that only reinforced the perception that she remains deeply delusional or in denial. Quote, Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case. Accidental deaths happen. Suicides happen. Fatal side effects from medications happen, unquote.

Just bat shit, man. Following her Idaho conviction, Lori was extradited to Arizona to finally face charges for Charles' murder and the attempt on Brandon Burdrew, where she would eventually also be found guilty of both in 2025, adding additional life sentences. And she was found guilty for conceit for, conspiring to murder Charles on April 22nd and for conspiring to murder Brandon on June 12th.

And she was given two additional life sentences on July 25th. And then there was Chad. And Chad Daybell's trial took place about a year after Lurries in April and May of 2024, also in Boise due to the change of venue. And Chad, unlike Laurie, had the death penalty on the table, which raised the stake significantly. And his defense strategy diverged from Lurys. and they squarely pinned most of the blame on Lori and Alex. In an opening statements, Chad's lawyer painted him as a misguided religious man who was

seduced and controlled by Lori, arguing that Laurie was the mastermind and that Chad was guilty perhaps of being foolish, but not murder. What? Not murder. Even though there's like a thousand pieces of evidence. The prosecution, by contrast, portrayed Chad as equally culpable and driven by base motives and emphasizing the insurance money he gained from Tammy's death. And many witnesses and much of the evidence was similar to Lori's trial, given the overlap.

And one new element in Chad's trial, though, was the focus on Tammy's murder. And jurors heard from Chad and Tammy's children, Emma and Garth, about how their mother's health had gotten worse near her death. However, jurors also heard from Tammy's family and friends about how shocked they were at her sudden death, considering how healthy she had seemed leading up to it. reinforcing the homicide finding. And they also heard of Chad's behavior after Tammy's death, like moving in with Lori and their marriage days after, which undercut any notion of him as a passive pawn.

So on May 30th of 2024, after deliberation, the jury found Chad Daybell guilty on all counts as well. And the first-degree murders of Tiley, JJ, and Tammy, plus conspiracy and insurance fraud. So having seen the same mountain of evidence, they did not buy the idea that Chad was just, Lori's victim. And the trial then proceeded to a penalty phase because the death penalty was sought. And on June 1st, 2024, the judge formally sentenced Chad Daybell to death for the three murders,

plus additional years for the other charges. And Chad reportedly showed little emotion as the sentence was handed down because he's a narcissistic psychopath, fucking evil monster, and he was transferred to the Idaho maximum security institution and placed on death row where he belongs. And Idaho had an actually conducted an execution in many years, but Chad's sentence sent a strong message given the heinousness of his crimes. And as of 2025, Chad is appealing his conviction and sentenced to Idaho Supreme Court,

a process that could take years. But in the meantime, he remains behind bars destined to live out his days in the shadow of the crimes he once thought were divinely sanctioned. And I say good riddons, and these people deserve to rot. rot and think about all the things they have done wrong. So that is that for this case.

Heart wrenching case. My heart goes out to the victim's families and to the children and to the spouses. It's just horrible, horrible. But please let me know what other cases you want me to deep dive into. I always read the comments. And until I see you next time, stay safe.