Kriti Mehrotra
As a Netflix original documentary series that lives up to its title from every conceivable angle, ‘Sins of Our Mother’ can only be described as equal parts baffling, devastating, as well as gripping. That’s because it charts not just Lori Valllow Daybell’s descent into religious extremism but also her personal, familial relationships to really shine a light upon all her extensive alleged offenses. Yet, for now, if you wish to learn more about the individuals who initially did try to guide and support her at every step of the way — her siblings — we’ve got the essential details for you.
Lori Vallow’s Siblings Had Different Views Over What Transpired
Although most reports claim Lori Vallow Daybell had three siblings, she was actually born in 1973 as the second youngest of five to devout Mormons Janis Lee Cox and Barry Lynn Cox in Southern California. She thus had four; Stacey Lynne Cox (1966), Alexander “Alex” Lamar Cox Pastenes (1968), Adam Lane Cox (1969), and Summer Novelle Cox (1975) — we say had because two of them have sadly since passed. While Stacey suddenly lost her life at the age of 31 in 1998 (cause undetermined), Alex Cox died of natural blood clots in his lungs as well as high blood pressure at 51 in December 2019.
Coming to the 2019 disappearance of Lori’s minor children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, her two surviving siblings honestly had drastically different opinions on her possible hand in the matter at first. Summer believed in her elder sister’s pure innocence, which is why she went as far as to proclaim the same in a May 2020 interview with CBS News (before the kids’ remains were recovered). She thought the duo was still alive. Summer said, “I have to see my family slaughtered on the news every day. This mob mentality of calling for… Lori to just be hung in a public square, basically is what it feels like.”
On the other hand, Lori’s elder brother, Adam, who had already expressed concern over her radical ideologies, had a gut feeling his niece and nephew were long dead since she never revealed their whereabouts. “Lori talked about death a lot actually, talked about the next life, how great the next life is and how it’s going to be perfect and how her kids won’t have to suffer in the next life,” Adam candidly said in ‘The Followers: Madness of Two’ podcast in 2021. “I thought, ‘If they’re good, Lori, you tell me where these kids are.’ If she says, ‘Well, I’m not going to tell you where the kids are,’ that means the kids aren’t alive.”
Lori Vallow Daybell’s Siblings
Summer was obviously heartbroken once Tylee and JJ’s bodies were found buried on Lori’s husband Chad Daybell’s property in June 2020, yet she didn’t shy away from admitting she was wrong. “We have prayed for the truth to come to light, but we never thought it would look like this,” she penned on Facebook. “Believe me when I say, this has looked very different from my perspective than what the public has seen. It’s easy to jump on a bandwagon when you don’t personally know all the people involved… I was wrong… [I love] my family with all my heart, and I wanted to believe the best in them.”
Summer continued, “I do not find any joy in condemning people or in the mob mentality. There is no joy in finding out about my precious niece and nephew. And while I have moments of extreme anger… right now, there is so much sorrow and hurt that I can’t even fully process all of it. The last thing I want to do is perpetuate more hate. There is already too much of that in this world. I am praying for healing for all of those who knew and loved Tyty and JJ… It is going to take time to work through all of these emotions and all of this grief… Tylee and JJ are completely irreplaceable in our family.”
As for their current standing, although the Cox family seemingly continues to grapple with their loss as well as differences, the one thing they see eye-to-eye on is maintaining Tylee and JJ’s legacy. In fact, Summer reportedly does her best to spread awareness about autism (JJ was on the spectrum), abuse, and violence these days. She has recently even been on panels to give them a voice – a voice they deserved to have, but it was sadly snatched away from them way too soon at the hands of their own mother and his partner. Lori and Chad have since been convicted.
Adam, on the other hand, appears determined to speak up more on this entire case. Unfortunately, we do not have much information on Summer apart from the fact she now goes by Summer Cox Shiflet and likely has a family of her own. However, we do know that Adam had moved on from Southern California and presently resides in Wichita, Kansas. This family man is a radio host, a podcast host, and an entertainer, serving as a Public Relations Specialist at AMP Digital Innovations as well as the President of StandOutICT Productions at the moment.
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