Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Sins of Our Mother’ exploring the bone-chilling case of Lori Vallow Daybell from every conceivable angle, we get a true insight into the actuality of her relationships as well as beliefs. After all, this Skye Borgman three-part original utilizes not only first-hand accounts but also archival footage to really get to the heart of what precisely happened to her missing children and why. Yet, for now, if you simply wish to learn more about her several legal unions over the years and the complex ways in which they panned out to affect her, we’ve got the essential details for you.
Lori Vallow’s Marital History: A Trail of Divorces and Tragedy
Since Lori Norene Cox grew up in the LDS Church around San Bernardino County in Southern California, it was no surprise when she decided to tie the knot right after graduating high school. Her first husband was thus her relatively long-term school boyfriend, Nelson Yanes, at the mere age of 19 back in 1992, but their marriage did not last, seemingly owing to some personal reasons. She then moved to be with William Lagioia in Texas in 1995, with whom she welcomed Colby Jordan Ryan in 1996, just for them to divorce a couple of years later (February 1998) as well.
According to her firstborn Colby, she and William were genuinely “in a bad relationship. She didn’t feel like she wanted me to be in that and basically took me and removed me from the situation.” It hence took a little while for Lori to find love again, but it was initially blissful when she did, especially as Joseph “Joe” Anthony Ryan legally adopted Colby following their wedding in 2001. The couple then blissfully welcomed their biological daughter Tylee Ashlyn Ryan into this world in September 2002, only for her to file another divorce in 2004 — it was finalized in May 2005.
This time around, though, Lori left her husband for good because he was physically as well as sexually abusive towards both her and her young children, as per the Netflix production. ‘Sins of Our Mother’ even indicates she was so angry at him she truly contemplated murder, yet her elder brother Alex Cox took revenge by tasering him and threatening to kill him in 2007. However, by this point, she’d already tied the knot with Leland “Charles” Vallow (February 2006), which actually turned out to be her longest marriage despite their 17-year age gap, lasting until 2019.
It was following seven years of marriage that Lori and Charles adopted his biological grandnephew as their son, leading to Joshua Jaxon “JJ” Vallow being included in their blended brood. Everything in their family honestly appeared great, that is, until February 2019 rolled around, and the businessman filed for divorce upon feeling as if his wife’s priorities had drastically shifted. He believed she no longer cared for them the way she once used to, plus he was worried since she’d not just started going down the path of religious extremism but had also threatened to kill him.
With this said, Lori and Charles’ divorce was never finalized as he was shot to death at the hands of her elder brother Alex before they could go through any of the proceedings. We should mention she has since been indicted on a single count of conspiracy to murder for this July 11, 2019, incident — it is believed her motive was her $1 million life insurance policy. Lori then finally tied the knot with Chad Guy Daybell on November 5, 2019, just two weeks after his wife Tammy Daybell’s demise, with a ring she’d bought using the deceased Charles’ Amazon account. They are still married.
Apart from Charles Vallow, Joseph “Joe” Anthony Ryan is Lori’s only other spouse who has passed away; he reportedly died of a heart attack on April 3, 2018, and was later cremated.
Read More: Where is Chad Daybell Now? Is He in Jail?
