Kriti Mehrotra
When 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and her brother 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow vanished within days of one another in the fall of 2019, no one could’ve imagined the bizarreness that would ensue. That’s because not only did their mother, Lori Vallow, and her new husband, Chad Daybell, come under suspicion for their lack of aid, but the several enigmatic deaths around them also came to light. Amongst them, as carefully examined on Netflix’s ‘Sins of Our Mother,’ is that of Chad’s first wife, Tammy Daybell — so now, if you wish to learn more about it, we’ve got the details for you.
Tammy Daybell Died Under the Most Mysterious Circumstances
Tamara “Tammy” Douglas Daybell was a proud school librarian, a loving wife, a kind mother of five, as well as a doting grandmother with no known enemies when everything turned upside down. The undeniably devout Mormon had actually even helped her college beau husband Chad establish the Spring Creek Book Company in 2004, just to wear many hats within the firm as it grew. In other words, the independent Salem, Idaho, resident genuinely supported her family through each endeavor, which is why her sudden demise on October 19, 2019, baffled them to the core.
According to original reports, Tammy peacefully passed away in her sleep after months of struggling with “failing health,” driving officials and her kids to believe her cause of death to be natural. An autopsy was thus deliberately not performed, only for suspicions to rise by the time December rolled around owing to Chad marrying Lori within two weeks, plus the missing minor children.
Tammy’s body was exhumed from her grave in Springville, Utah, on December 11, 2019, for an official medical autopsy, yet its results were not made public until court proceedings in 2023 despite completion in 2021. However, officials had formally told the 49-year-old’s kids that she had “been asphyxiated,” as per their exclusive interview with ’48 Hours’ in 2021. This was confirmed in 2023.
Tammy Daybell Was Killed By Her Husband and His New Love
Tammy’s death is now considered a clear homicide considering the fact both Lori and Chad have since been charged, tried, and sentenced for her murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and grand theft in connection to the matter. They were indicted in May 2021, but didn’t face justice until 2023 and 2024, respectively, with her husband also facing a single count of insurance fraud — he had cashed in on her life insurance policy totaling nearly $430,000. He was convicted of this charge too.
It’s imperative to mention that Chad had actually signed an application on September 8, 2019, to increase Tammy’s policy to the maximum amount possible, suggesting a clear motive. After all, there was seemingly a genuine attempt on her life a mere month later, on October 9, when a masked man tried to shoot at her with what she believed to be a paintball gun.
The librarian did call 911 before posting about this incident on Facebook as a warning for neighbors to be careful, but officials have admitted they summed it up as a prank rather quickly. A significant reason for this was the fact the weapon was actually empty as well as the lack of leads because the male did not speak despite Tammy constantly asking who he was and what he wanted. The assailant even ran away without a look behind the moment she shouted her husband’s name for help, which didn’t aid either.
However, official records have since indicated the masked man was none other than Lori Vallow’s elder brother Alex Cox, whom she deemed her personal hitman, as per the Netflix original. Yet Alex has not and can not ever be charged with any wrongdoing related to Tammy’s tragic demise as he himself passed away (reportedly of natural causes) on December 12, 2019. We should mention that all of Chad and Tammy’s children completely believe in their father’s innocence: “He was framed,” their daughter Emma Murray told CBS News. “…I think he was fooled in the worst, most deadly way possible.” But alas, with Lori and Chad both having been found guilty, while she has since been sentenced to life in prison, he was handed down the death penalty.
Read More: How Did Alex Cox Die?
