Idaho police believe that the mother of two missing siblings has more information on her children’s whereabouts, but she’s refusing to help.
Lori Vallow, the mother of Joshua (JJ) Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, likely “knows either the location of the children or what has happened to them,” but has declined to work with law enforcement to find her missing kids, the Rexburg Police Department said in a statement Monday.
“It is astonishing that rather than work with law enforcement to help us locate her own children, Lori Vallow has chosen instead to leave the state with her new husband,” the statement said.
Joshua and Tylee were last seen in September, according to police, but they were never reported missing. In late November, police conducted a welfare check after relatives grew concerned they hadn’t heard from Joshua, Vallow’s adopted son.
Vallow and her new husband, Chad Daybell, whose wife had died a month earlier, told investigators that Joshua was staying with a family friend in Arizona, but that proved to be false.
A day after the Arizona home turned up empty, the Rexburg police served a search warrant at the Daybells’ house, but found that the couple had “abruptly” left their home and fled the area.
Now, amid their investigation, police say Vallow and Daybell have been lying about her children, including telling witnesses that Tylee had died a year before her father and, separately, that Vallow had no minor children.
On Facebook, a woman claiming to be Joshua’s grandmother wrote that Vallow has “been spending all her time with a new religious group” for the past 18 months and deserted her son and late husband, Charles, who she identified as her brother.
In July 2019, Kay Vallow Woodcock, wrote, Charles showed up at Vallow’s house to bring his son to school, at which point Vallow’s brother, Alex, shot him twice in the chest, she claims.
Woodcock also claimed that Alex died “mysteriously” in December.
Officials have not confirmed any of the allegations.
“We strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee’s lives are in danger,” the Rexburg Police Department said.
In a statement released through an attorney last week, the Daybells defended themselves.
“Chad Daybell was a loving husband and has the support of his children in this matter. Lori Daybell is a devoted mother and resents assertions to the contrary,” attorney Sean Bartholick said in a statement to East Idaho News on Dec. 23. “We look forward to addressing the allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor.”
Authorities have also exhumed the remains of Daybell’s wife, who was found dead in her Fremont County home on Oct. 19. Her death was initially ruled natural, but the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office have now launched an investigation.
Police said they have not filed charges yet because they’re focused on finding Joshua and Tylee.
“Our primary concern at this point is simply locating Joshua and Tylee and charging decisions will be made in due course based upon the evidence available,” the department said in a statement. “If we find that harm was done to these children within our jurisdiction, we will prosecute whoever caused that harm.”
Joshua is described as a white male with brown hair and brown eyes, standing at 4’0? and weighing 50 pounds. He also goes by JJ and may be in need of medical attention.
Tylee is described as a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, standing at 5’0? and weighing 160 pounds.
Anyone with information about the children is asked to call Rexburg police at 208-359-3000 or report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
