picious deaths surrounding Lori and Chad, in-
cluding both of their previous spouses as well as
Lori’s older brother Alex—making the case even
more complex. And the chilling question remains:
Where are Tylee and J.J? “It’s frustrating,” says
J.J.’s grandfather Larry Woodcock. “She has defied
a court order and hasn’t proven that the kids are
okay. She should be in handcuffs.”Growing up, Tylee and J.J. had more than their
share of difficulties. When Tylee was a toddler, her
parents divorced, and her father, Joseph Ryan, later
died of a heart attack. Lori, who was also mom to
son Colby from a previous marriage, tied the knot
with her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in 2006.
They moved to Chandler, Ariz., and adopted J.J., the
biological son of one of Charles’s relatives, who had
been diagnosed on the autism spectrum as a tod-‘EVERYTHING
IS JUST A
TORNADO OF
CONFUSION.
I WANT
MY SIBLINGS
BACK’
—COLBY
RYAN, LORI
VALLOW’S SON
As authorities search for Tylee and
J.J., they are also investigating the
mysterious deaths of Chad and
Lori’s former spouses. On Oct. 19,
2019, Tammy Daybell, 49 (left, with
Chad), died in her sleep at their
home in Salem, Idaho (bottom left).
Tammy was originally thought to
have died of natural causes, but
her body has since been exhumed
for testing, which could take up
to a year to complete, according
to authorities. Charles Vallow,
63 (right, with Lori), was shot to
death by Lori’s brother Alex Cox
during a July 11, 2019, altercation at
Lori’s home in Chandler, Ariz. (top
right). Cox, 51, who claimed he shotTIMELINE
OF A MYSTERY
JULY 11, 2019
Lori’s ex-husband Charles
is fatally shot by her
brother Alex. Shortly
afterward Lori returns
J.J.’s service dog (with
him, right) to its trainers
and moves to Idaho with
J.J. and Tylee.OCT.19, 2019
Chad’s wife, Tammy,
is found dead in
the couple’s bed
from what is initially
ruled to be “natural
causes.” Chad
and Lori get
married weeks later.DEC. 5, 2018
In their first documented
meeting Chad Daybell
and Lori Vallow (left),
a follower of Chad’s
doomsday writings, speak
together on a podcast
about preparing for the
end of the world.and Tylee and J.J. quickly bonded, both delighting
in the addition of J.J.’s service dog Bailey to the fam-
ily. “The first night that Bailey stayed with him, that
was one of the first nights that J.J. stayed in bed all
night,” says the dog ’s trainer Neal Mestas. “As far as
I knew, they were a healthy, happy family.”
But the happiness was short-lived. In early 2019
Charles filed for divorce, stating that Lori had be-
come “infatuated and obsessed with near-death
experiences and spiritual visions.” The divorce
was contentious, and on July 11 Lori and Charles
got into an argument at the family’s home. During
the altercation, Lori’s brother Alex Cox fatally
shot Charles in front of the children. Cox claimed
it was in self-defense and wasn’t charged.
Soon Lori was moving on. Just weeks after her
husband’s death, she packed up the family and
headed to Idaho to be near Chad Daybell, the
author of multiple books focusing on doomsdayFormer Spouses,Mysterious Deaths50 March 2, 2020