Kriti Mehrotra
The fall 2019 disappearance of 16-year-old Tylee Ashlyn Ryan and her 7-year-old brother Joshua Jaxon “JJ” Vallow is a case that honestly continues to bewilder the entire nation to this day. That’s because not only were their bodies found buried in their mother Lori Vallow’s new partner Chad Daybell’s backyard months later, but the duo still refuses to reveal precisely what transpired. However, as carefully explored in Netflix’s ‘Sins of Our Mother,’ the suspicion is their extreme apocalyptic beliefs as well as their desire for a “purer” world may have driven them to commit murder.
While many believe Chad to be the driving force behind this brutal alleged offense, some consider Lori the mastermind, but the one thing prosecutors are sure of is that they’re both responsible. The significant reason for this, apart from their silence, is their actions leading up to the kids’ disappearance and remains’ recovery following the execution of a search warrant on his property. After all, there’s the fact they’d been having an affair, they married within two weeks of his first wife Tammy Daybell’s mysterious demise, and many witnesses have come forward to unravel their lies.
From telling others Tylee had passed away years prior to asserting Lori had no minor children to leaving Idaho for good instead of cooperating with the authorities, the couple ostensibly did it all. Therefore, while Lori was arrested for desertion of her kids in February 2020, her husband was taken into custody following his attempt to flee the scene upon the discovery of their bodies on June 9, 2020. It’s undeniable that this case has been among the most brutally heinous ones to have come to light in recent years due to the sheer extent of the perpetrators’ twisted criminal mindset.
Chad Daybell is Now on Death Row
Chad was booked into Fremont County Jail on the day of his apprehension on two counts of alteration, concealment, or destruction of evidence, with his bail officially set at $1 million on June 10. The professional gravedigger turned near-death experiences and end-of-time events novelist actually pleaded not guilty to all charges in August, only for the matter to be pushed much further. The truth is his first wife Tammy’s demise had already come into question by this point despite his initial insistence it was natural, leading to further investigations into each aspect of his existence.
Chad was thus eventually charged with first-degree murder as well as conspiracy to commit murder in connection to Tylee, JJ, and Tammy’s deaths towards the end of May 2021, right alongside Lori. He again pleaded not guilty on June 9, yet the officials still dropped the prior indictments against him and even refused to charge him for Lori’s fourth husband’s passing owing to no clear evidence. Nonetheless, in early August, the prosecutors announced they would undoubtedly seek the death penalty since “the nature and magnitude of these crimes warrant the possibility of the highest possible punishment.”
We should mention that in early October 2021, a judge granted Chad’s motion for his trial to be moved from Fremont County to ensure he gets a fair chance due to the infamy of the matter. Therefore, with his and Lori’s 10-week-long joint court proceedings scheduled to begin in Ada County on January 9, 2023, the now 55-year-old awaited the same behind bars as his bail was withdrawn once he was accused of murder. It’s also imperative to note all of Chad’s children (from his marriage with Tammy) believe he was entirely framed by his new wife and her brother Alex Cox.
“This is his property,” one of his daughters said in an exclusive interview with CBS’ ’48 Hous.’ “If there’s bodies buried here, it would be attributed to him… I think he was fooled in the worst, most deadly way possible.” Nevertheless, once everything was said and done, on May 20, 2024, Chad was found guilty of all charges, including first-degree murder and conspiracy in the deaths of Tammy, Tylee, and JJ, grand theft by deception in connection to the children’s killing, as well as insurance fraud related to Tammy’s murder. A day later, he was sentenced to death with an additional 15 years and ordered to pay restitution worth $130,000 plus $300,000. So, today, he is on death row at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.
Read More: Charles Vallow’s Murder: How Did He Die? Who Killed Him?
