Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell, an Idaho couple who preached that the world was ending, were convicted of murdering Lori's two children and Chad's first wife; Lori was separately convicted of murdering her estranged husband and of attempting to murder her niece's husband.
Maricopa County Superior Courthouse - Phoenix (49776805898) — Credit: Tony Webster · CC BY 2.0
Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell, a married Idaho couple, were convicted of murdering Lori's two children and Chad's first wife in a series of killings that took place between 2019 and 2020. At the time, both were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though their personal religious beliefs had drifted far from mainstream teachings. Chad, an apocalyptic author and publisher, prophesied that the world would end in July 2020, and Lori came to believe she was a deity destined to play a role in the coming apocalypse. Prosecutors said the killings were driven both by these beliefs and by financial motives, including life insurance payouts and the children's Social Security survivor benefits.
The couple met in October 2018 and began a relationship while each was still married to someone else. On July 11, 2019, Lori's estranged husband, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed during a confrontation at her home in Chandler, Arizona; no charges were filed over the shooting at the time. Lori's daughter, Tylee Ryan, was last seen alive on September 8, 2019, and her adopted son, J.J. Vallow, was last seen alive on September 22, 2019, near the family's home in Rexburg, Idaho. On October 2, 2019, Brandon Boudreaux, the estranged husband of Lori's niece, survived being shot at while driving in Gilbert, Arizona. Chad's wife, Tammy Daybell, was found dead at their Rexburg home on October 19, 2019, in a death initially attributed to natural causes. Chad and Lori married in Hawaii on November 5, 2019, two weeks after Tammy's death.
After Idaho police questioned Lori about J.J.'s whereabouts in November 2019, she and Chad left the state for Hawaii without the children. Lori was arrested in Hawaii on February 20, 2020, initially on charges of deserting her children. On June 9, 2020, the remains of Tylee and J.J. were found buried on Chad's property in Rexburg, and Chad was arrested the same day. Tylee's remains showed signs consistent with an attempt to dismember her body, and J.J. had been asphyxiated. Tammy Daybell's body was later exhumed and found to have been asphyxiated as well, rather than to have died of natural causes as first reported. A relative whom investigators said had helped carry out the killings died in December 2019, before he could be arrested or charged.
On May 25, 2021, Chad and Lori were charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Tylee, J.J., and Tammy. Lori was later separately charged in Arizona with the murder of Charles Vallow and the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux. Lori and Chad were tried separately in Idaho. On May 12, 2023, a jury found Lori guilty of all charges, and on July 31, 2023, she received consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Chad was also found guilty of all charges in his own trial and was sentenced to death. Lori was then extradited to Arizona, where she was convicted at two further trials of murdering Charles Vallow and of the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, receiving two additional life sentences. Both Chad and Lori have appealed their convictions.
J.J. Vallow, Tylee Ryan, Brandon Boudreaux, Charles Vallow, Tammy Daybell
Date
2019
Location
Rexburg, Idaho
Case status
solved
Case timeline
2018-10
Lori Vallow Daybell met Chad Daybell for the first time, at a religious conference; the two began communicating privately afterward.
2019-02
Charles Vallow filed for divorce from Lori Vallow Daybell, citing threats to his life and the theft of money from their joint bank accounts.
2019-07-11
Charles Vallow was shot and killed during a confrontation at Lori Vallow Daybell's home in Chandler, Arizona; no charges were filed at the time.
2019-09-08
Tylee Ryan was last seen alive, with her family, at Yellowstone National Park.
2019-09-22
J.J. Vallow was last seen alive at his mother's home in Rexburg, Idaho.
2019-10-02
Brandon Boudreaux survived being shot at while driving in Gilbert, Arizona.
2019-10-19
Tammy Daybell was found dead at her and Chad Daybell's Rexburg, Idaho home, in a death initially attributed to natural causes.
2019-11-05
Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell married in Hawaii, two weeks after Tammy Daybell's death.
2019-11-26
Police conducted a welfare check at Lori Vallow Daybell's Rexburg home after J.J.'s grandmother requested one; investigators found the home abandoned the following day.
2020-02-20
Lori Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii, initially on charges of deserting her children.
2020-06-09
The remains of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow were found buried on Chad Daybell's property in Rexburg, Idaho, and Chad Daybell was arrested.
2021-05-25
Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell were charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Tylee Ryan, J.J. Vallow, and Tammy Daybell.
2023-05-12
A jury found Lori Vallow Daybell guilty of all charges related to the killings of Tylee Ryan, J.J. Vallow, and Tammy Daybell.
2023-07-31
Lori Vallow Daybell was sentenced to consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Best coverage
Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
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Lori Vallow Daybell: Guilty | Full Episode
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Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell Update: Pleads Not Guilty, Suspect in ANOTHER murder, NEW details
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Crime Weekly / 1 hr 50 min
The Daybell Doomsday Cult Murders: A Man of God or Not? (Part 6)
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48 Hours / 2 min
Cult expert weighs in on Idaho missing children's case
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Dateline NBC / 2 min
Dateline Episode Trailer: Where Are The Children? | Dateline NBC
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Annie Elise / 55 min
Triple Murder Driven by Thirst for Sex, Love & Power? | Live from Chad Daybell Trial: Week 1 Recap
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Stephanie Harlowe / 46 min
Coffee and Crime Time: Where are Tylee and JJ? Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Case
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48 Hours / 21 min
Inside the Lori Vallow Daybell Trial: Opening Statements | "48 Hours" Podcast
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48 Hours / 4 min
Lori Vallow Daybell: Guilty | Sneak peek
People
J.J. Vallow
VICTIM
Lori Vallow Daybell's adopted son, a young child with autism; last seen alive on September 22, 2019, at his mother's home in Rexburg, Idaho. His remains were found on June 9, 2020, buried on Chad Daybell's property, and his killing was among the murder counts on which both Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell were convicted.
Tylee Ryan
VICTIM
Lori Vallow Daybell's teenage daughter; last seen alive on September 8, 2019, near the family's home in Rexburg, Idaho. Her remains were found on June 9, 2020, buried on Chad Daybell's property, and her killing was among the murder counts on which both Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell were convicted.
Brandon Boudreaux
VICTIM
The estranged husband of Lori Vallow Daybell's niece; survived being shot at while driving in Gilbert, Arizona, on October 2, 2019. Lori Vallow Daybell was later convicted of the attempted murder.
Chad Daybell
CONVICTED
Convicted in Idaho of the first-degree murders of Tylee Ryan, J.J. Vallow, and his wife, Tammy Daybell, and sentenced to death. He has appealed his conviction.
Lori Vallow Daybell
CONVICTED
Convicted in Idaho on May 12, 2023, of the first-degree murders of her children, Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow, and of conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, receiving consecutive life sentences without parole. Later convicted in Arizona of the murder of Charles Vallow and the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, receiving two additional life sentences. She has appealed her convictions.
Charles Vallow
VICTIM
Lori Vallow Daybell's estranged husband; fatally shot on July 11, 2019, during a confrontation at her home in Chandler, Arizona. No charges were filed over the shooting at the time; Lori Vallow Daybell was later convicted of conspiracy to commit his murder.
Tammy Daybell
VICTIM
Chad Daybell's wife; found dead at their Rexburg, Idaho home on October 19, 2019, in a death initially attributed to natural causes. An exhumation later determined she had been asphyxiated, and both Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell were convicted in connection with her death.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Maricopa County Superior Courthouse - Phoenix (49776805898)
Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell, an Idaho couple who preached that the world was ending, were convicted of murdering Lori's two children and Chad's first wife; Lori was separately convicted of murdering her estranged husband and of attempting to murder her niece's husband.
Where did the murders happen?
Rexburg, Idaho.
Who was convicted?
Chad Daybell (Convicted in Idaho of the first-degree murders of Tylee Ryan, J.J. Vallow, and his wife, Tammy Daybell, and sentenced to death. He has appealed his conviction.) and Lori Vallow Daybell (Convicted in Idaho on May 12, 2023, of the first-degree murders of her children, Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow, and of conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, receiving consecutive life sentences without parole. Later convicted in Arizona of the murder of Charles Vallow and the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, receiving two additional life sentences. She has appealed her convictions.).
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