Murders of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow

Tylee Ryan (17) and Joshua "J.J." Vallow (7) were the children of Lori Vallow Daybell, who at the time was married to Charles Vallow (J.J.'s adoptive father) before beginning a relationship with author Chad Daybell. Chad and Lori led a small religious group that came to hold extreme, apocalyptic beliefs, including a system in which people could be labeled "dark" or become "possessed," "zombies" who needed to be removed.

The killings began on July 11, 2019, when Lori's brother Alex Cox shot and killed Charles Vallow at Lori's home in Chandler, Arizona, during a confrontation over custody of J.J. Cox claimed self-defense and was not charged. Lori subsequently moved with her children to Rexburg, Idaho. Tylee was last seen on September 8, 2019, at Yellowstone National Park with her mother, brother, and uncle. J.J. was last confirmed seen on September 22, 2019, when a witness saw Alex Cox carry him upstairs at Lori's home.

In the following weeks, Lori told various people conflicting stories about the children's whereabouts, continued collecting their Social Security survivor benefits, and enrolled J.J. as "homeschooled" without ever producing him. On October 2, 2019, Brandon Boudreaux, the estranged husband of Lori's niece, survived being shot at while driving in Gilbert, Arizona; investigators later tied the vehicle to Tylee. On October 19, 2019, Chad's wife, Tammy Daybell, was found dead at their Rexburg home; her death was initially attributed to natural causes, but an exhumation and autopsy later determined she had been asphyxiated. Chad and Lori married in Hawaii on November 5, 2019, two weeks after Tammy's death.

After police conducted a welfare check for J.J. on November 26, 2019, Lori and Chad gave conflicting and false accounts of his location and left Idaho for Hawaii the next day. Investigation subsequently revealed Tylee was also missing. The case received national media attention, and Lori and Chad were publicly named "persons of interest" in December 2019. Lori was arrested in Hawaii on February 20, 2020, initially on charges of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children.

On June 9, 2020, police discovered human remains buried on Chad Daybell's property in Fremont County, Idaho — Tylee's remains in an area used to bury pets, and J.J.'s remains near a pond. The remains were confirmed as those of Tylee and J.J. Forensic findings indicated Tylee's body had been burned and dismembered, with cause of death undetermined; J.J. had been asphyxiated with a plastic bag and duct tape. Chad was arrested at the scene for obstruction/concealment of evidence. Alex Cox, whom investigators believed had participated in the killings, had died in December 2019 before he could be charged.

On May 25, 2021, Lori and Chad were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the deaths of Tylee, J.J., and Tammy Daybell, along with related theft charges. Tried separately, Lori was found guilty on all counts on May 12, 2023, and sentenced on July 31, 2023, to three consecutive life sentences without parole. Chad was later found guilty of all charges and sentenced to death. Lori was subsequently extradited to Arizona, where she was convicted in connection with the murder of Charles Vallow and the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, receiving two additional life sentences. Both Lori and Chad have appealed their convictions and sentences.