Earlier this month, those following the case of missing Idaho siblings JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan were devastated to learn of the latest developments. After local law enforcement and the FBI performed a search on property belonging to Chad Daybell, the fifth husband of Lori Vallow, they discovered human remains. Later, those remains were confirmed to belong to JJ and Tylee.
The heartbreaking end to a months-long search has left many with more questions than answers. People want to know what would drive Lori, Chad, and their possible accomplices to end the lives of these children. As more details of the investigation have been released, the disgust at their actions has only grown.
The probable cause affidavit was unsealed, revealing what led to the search. The document also details the state in which the children were found. While these details are devastating and graphic, they shed light on how each child's life was ended.
The probable cause affidavit served as part of the search of Chad Daybell's property early this month gives insight into the condition that JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan's bodies were found. The Idaho siblings, who previously resided in Arizona, were found buried on the property on June 9. The 8-year-old and 16-year-old had been the subjects of a missing children investigation that began last November.
Currently, Chad and wife Lori Vallow, the mother of the children, are both in jail. Chad has been charged with two felony counts of concealment or destruction of evidence and is in the Fremont County Jail.
Lori has been in Madison County Jail since March and has so far been charged with desertion of children and three misdemeanors. Each is being held at $1 million bail. Both are likely to see more charges as the case unfolds, especially considering that other deaths surrounding the couple are also being investigated.
The affidavit clears up many of the questions that those following the case had as the search was underway. It also adds more clarity to the timeline of events.
Tylee Ryan was last publicly seen on September 8 on a trip to Yellowstone National Park with Lori, JJ, and Lori's brother, Alex Cox. This is confirmed by photos of them from the trip, as well as GPS information.
An FBI unit specializing in cellphone data analysis used data from Alex's cellphone. That data indicated that Alex, who lived in the same townhouse complex as Lori in Rexburg, Idaho, was at Lori's home from 2:42 a.m. to 3:37 a.m. on Monday, September 9.
"This is significant, not only because he is there in the middle of the night, but also because this is the only time in September he appears to go over to Lori’s between midnight and 6 AM," the affidavit explains.
He returned to his own apartment after that time and remained there until 9:21 a.m., when the cell data places him at Chad's property, where he was until 10:30 a.m.
Cell records from the same day also provided a text exchange between Chad and his then-wife Tammy Daybell, who died the following month.
"Well, I've had an interesting morning! I felt I should burn all of the limb debris by the fire pit before it got too soaked by the coming storms," Chad wrote to Tammy.
"While I did so, I spotted a big raccoon 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. Fun times!"
Police contacted Tammy Daybell's sister, Samantha Gwilliam, to ask if she was aware of the pet cemetery. She was and was able to tell them exactly where it was. The location corresponds with the location where cellphone data put Alex on the property on the morning of September 9.
"Ground in this area was probed with a steel pole, and several areas of disturbed ground were located. During a search of this ground, a buried cat and dog remains were found. A backhoe was used to dig further layers of dirt. While doing this, bricks were located approximately a foot below the ground," the affidavit reads.
"The dirt in this area was searched, and several other items of interest were found, including other bones, charred tissue, and charred bones. Cheryl Anderson (a Boise State University anthropologist on-site) indicated these additional bones, both charred and uncharred, and tissue found were human remains."
Later, those remains were confirmed to belong to Tylee. Tylee was dismembered before being buried and, at some point, the remains were burned. Chad, a former gravedigger who authored a book on his experience, had previously informed people that during winter burials, the ground was sometimes burned to thaw for burial.
As for a reason why to kill the teen, Lori's friend Melanie Gibb has noted that Lori believed Tylee was a zombie. She also believed that she and Chad were to destined to rid the world of zombies to "help her gather and prepare those chosen to live in the New Jerusalem after the Great War as prophesied in the Book of Revelations."
Lori told Melanie she believed that Tylee had become a zombie around 12 or 13 years old, when she became difficult to deal with. Melanie also claims that she heard Lori call Tylee a zombie when she resisted after being asked to babysit. "Not me, mom," Tylee replied.
JJ was last publicly seen on the night of September 22. Melanie and her boyfriend had visited JJ and Lori in Rexburg. When they arrived, Lori told Melanie that JJ had also become a zombie.
Lori "pointed out behaviors such as sitting still and watching TV, claiming JJ said he loved Satan, and an increased vocabulary as evidence that JJ was now a zombie." The affidavit notes that Melanie felt JJ seemed perfectly himself.
Lori, Melanie, and her boyfriend were set to do a podcast together, but JJ was acting up. Alex came by to get JJ and returned later that night with the sleeping boy in his arms. It isn't clear if JJ was still alive at the moment he was carried in. The next morning Melanie inquired about where JJ was.
Lori told Melanie "that JJ had been acting like a zombie and had been crawling on the kitchen cabinetry and had gotten on top of the cabinetry in the space between the cabinetry and the ceiling." She claimed he knocked a picture of Jesus off the fridge while doing so, so she called Alex to take him for a bit.
On the morning of September 23, Alex's cellphone placed him at Chad's property again, from 9:55 a.m. to 10:12 a.m. The data located him near the pond on the property, which is one of the areas that was searched on June 9.
"Members of the FBI removed the top layer of sod. Underneath the layer of sod were several large flat rocks. The rocks were removed, and two pieces of flat paneling were found. The paneling was removed, and investigators exposed a round object covered in black plastic," the affidavit reads.
"Upon exposing the round object covered in black plastic, a strong odor was noticed. An FBI member used a small sharp instrument and made a small incision in the plastic and a layer of white plastic was observed. An incision was made into the white layer of plastic exposing what appeared to be human remains, the crown of a head covered in light brown hair," it continues.
JJ's body was found intact, but wrapped in black plastic and secured with duct tape.
While the search was being executed, Chad drove to his daughter's home, which is located at the opposite corner of Chad's, diagonally. He sat in his car and watched what was happening on his property. Investigators noted that when Chad saw that they had uncovered JJ's remains, he drove away. He was arrested one mile away from the site.
The children's remains were sent to the county coroner for autopsies. Following those autopsies, additional "outside and ancillary testing" was requested, which will take weeks to complete. The cause of death for both children has yet to be released if they have made those determinations.
Lori and Chad, who married in November, two months after the children's deaths and just weeks after Tammy's, are the only ones left to answer for this crime. Alex died of what has been determined to be natural causes. This means it may not be one of the other suspicious deaths tangentially connected to this sad, scary story.
