The tangled web of death that surrounds Lori Vallow continues to grow more complex by the day.
Lori is the mother of missing Idaho siblings JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan. The 7-year-old and 17-year-old haven't been seen in public since early last fall. Lori has had opportunities to present the children and provide evidence of their safety, but she has failed to do so. In late January, she was arrested in Hawaii, where she was spending time with her new husband, Chad Daybell.
The dive into the disappearance of JJ and Tylee has produced a number of fascinating stories. Questions have arisen about several deaths that occurred in the time leading up to the children's disappearance. Lori's involvement in these situations is investigated, as well as any possible involvement by Chad.
One of those who died was Lori's ex-husband, Charles Vallow. Sources who knew the couple say that Lori and Charles' wonderful marriage fell apart as she became more deeply involved with an extreme religious group. New footage has surfaced of Charles talking to police about his concerns regarding Lori just months before he was shot and killed by her brother, Alex Cox, who was also found dead last December.
A new development surrounding the case of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan's disappearance casts a darker shadow on Lori Vallow. She is the mother of the two children, who were last seen in September 2019. Despite numerous opportunities to produce her children or provide information on their whereabouts, Lori has not cooperated with officers since November 2019.
The development comes in the form of bodycam footage showing a conversation between Lori's late ex-husband, Charles Vallow, and Gilbert, Arizona, police. He contacted police after he was unable to get in touch with Tylee and JJ for two days in January 2019. The incident occurred just weeks before Charles filed for divorce.
Charles shared with police officers that his wife had been getting deeply involved in some upsetting extreme religious beliefs. "She's not here," Charles tells officers. "She lost her reality."
Charles explained to officers that Lori believed she was a translated being and a God. She claimed to speak with an ancient prophet and Jesus Christ daily.
"I love her to death. This is killing me, officer," he says.
Charles explained that among Lori's recent erratic behaviors, she came to believe he was no longer himself. He claimed Lori told him, "I will kill you because you're not Charles, and nobody will care."
"OK, so she at this point doesn't think you are her husband?" an officer clarified.
"She thinks I'm Nick Schneider," Charles confirms.
"Who's Nick Schneider?"
"I have no idea," Charles replies. "It's a name she used. I don't know where it came from. I'm just like — I'm as bewildered as you are."
Charles went on to explain that he was afraid for his safety, as well as that of JJ and Tylee. He explained that earlier in the day, he was on a business trip in Houston when he got a call from Lori telling him to take the kids.
He arrived home to find that his truck was no longer where he had left it at the airport. Lori told him she threw out all of his clothes. When he arrived home, he discovered she had emptied their joint bank account.
Charles had to call the police to get into his home, as his keys were in his missing truck. Police issued an order to have Lori picked up by officers for a mental health exam. She was informed of it when she visited the police to file an order against Charles the following day. She underwent the exam and was cleared that same day.
An officer also noted Charles' behavior as strange, as seen in a police report obtained by ABC News. "During my conversation with Charles, I found his demeanor to be strange for a person in his circumstances," the officer noted.
"He seemed more concerned with asking questions about the legality of financial withdrawals Lori had made than her alleged incoherence."
Six months later, Charles was shot and killed in a dispute with Lori's brother, Alex Cox, in his estranged wife's home. Alex claimed he shot Charles in self-defense after Charles charged him with a bat. No charges were filed against him. Alex died in December 2019.
Both deaths have been looked at again as police struggle to find answers to what has happened to Lori's children. A medical examiner confirmed this month that Alex died of natural causes as initially indicated. Authorities have yet to provide information on any further details regarding Charles' death.
There has been confirmation that Lori and new husband Chad Daybell are both being investigated in Idaho. The couple is being investigated for attempted murder, possible murder, and conspiracy. Chad lived in the Idaho county where Lori is currently held with ex-wife Tammy Daybell, who died just two weeks before he and Lori tied the knot.
Tylee was last seen on September 8 when she Lori, JJ, and Alex all visited Yellowstone National Park. JJ was last seen on September 23 at the school Lori pulled him out of the next day. Lori and Chad have provided police with false information about the children's whereabouts on several occasions since their investigation began in late November.
As the investigation into Lori and Chad deepened, they abruptly left Idaho for Hawaii. Lori, Charles, and the children had briefly lived Kauai, Hawaii, in 2014. It's also where she and Chad were found in late January when Lori was arrested.
Lori is charged with felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, as well as resisting or obstructing officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime, contempt of court, and willful disobedience of court process or order for failing to produce the two kids. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges. She is being held on $1 million bond.
Lori's next court date is July 9. In recent interviews, members of her family have hung by her side and shared their belief that the children are still alive. While the Vallow/Woodcock family holds out hope, the passing of JJ's eighth birthday on May 25 without answers is a milestone that stings. As it gets closer to one year since these children have been seen, the family's desire for answers and justice only continues to grow.
