Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary series that delves deep into the infamous case of Lori Vallow Daybell, Netflix’s ‘Sins of Our Mother’ can only be described as equal parts gripping, bewildering, and haunting. That’s because it charts not just her familial experiences but also her religious extremism, along with the way they ultimately allegedly led her to have a hand in two of her children’s murders. Amongst those to extensively feature in this original to help navigate the same is none other than Lori’s sole surviving child Colby Jordan Ryan — so let’s find out more about him, shall we?
Colby Ryan Has Faced His Fair Share of Troubles Over the Years
Although born to Lori Cox and her second husband, William Lagioia, on April 8, 1996, Colby Ryan did not have a big, happy family or even a father figure for most of his early years since his parents divorced in 1998. He was actually adopted by Joseph “Joe” Ryan Anthony Jr. once his mother tied the knot with him in 2001, around a year before they welcomed their daughter Tylee into this world, yet this marriage did not last either. The reason? Joe was physically as well as sexually abusive towards both his wife and her children, going as far as to rape Colby inside their shared home, according to the three-part production.
However, the entry of Leland “Charles” Anthony Vallow into their lives as Lori’s fourth husband in the mid-2000s turned things around for good because he genuinely, gladly cared for everyone. Hence, Colby got his wish of having a tight-knit family, which only grew further when the couple adopted Charles’ months-old grandnephew Joshua Jaxon (or JJ) as their own in 2013. At first, the then-teen was admittedly a little unsure about this adoption, yet he soon developed the same deep bond with the toddler, who had autism, that he had with Tylee, as per the docuseries.
Colby honestly loved being a big brother, but he also knows he wasn’t too involved in his siblings’ lives by the time fall 2019 rolled around since his focus had shifted to his job, his wife Kelsee, and their daughter. It wasn’t until what would’ve been Tylee’s 17th birthday (September 24) that Colby realized something was amiss — she didn’t pick up his calls and texts from her number read differently. So, once it was officially confirmed that both his sister and brother were missing, he did his best to aid the search and get through to his mother for the complete truth, but to no avail.
Colby Ryan is a Dedicated Family Man
“We have to live with what happened,” Colby had candidly expressed in ‘Sins of Our Mother.’ “What am I gonna focus on? Am I gonna focus on [Charles, Tylee, and JJ’s] deaths, or am I gonna focus on their memory and honor them? They don’t want us sitting here broken, destroyed by everything because they’re gone.” Therefore, it comes as no surprise he published a memoir titled ‘The God Over Odds’ in April 2022 to detail how true faith has helped him heal from a life of trauma, abuse, murder, and loss.
The Arizona resident has even established the God Over Odds Media Company to share his testimony with the entire world. “I just really feel like I’m making it through because of Kelsee [my wife] and Riley [our daughter],” Colby said. “If I didn’t have Riley, if I didn’t have my wife… I probably would’ve just died from sadness. Like, I have a purpose besides myself.” Yet, it’s imperative to mention things within this family have changed drastically since 2022 — not only did the couple welcome their second daughter, Ava, into this world in January 2022, but they briefly also separated in the summer of 2022 before reconnecting. And today, they are pregnant with their third child, a son.
Coming to the separation, Colby was arrested in Mesa, Arizona, on September 3, 2022, on two counts of alleged sexual assault after his estranged wife accused him of raping her two nights prior. The now 28-year-old had reportedly amicably shown up at her doorstep — they did not live together — on August 31 to watch television, following which they’d engaged in consensual kissing. But she’d made clear she did not want to have sexual intercourse, just for him to continue inappropriately touching and then allegedly raping her despite protests, according to police documents.
Colby was actually held at Maricopa County Jail on a $10,000 bond until September 9, that is, until the charges against him were dismissed without prejudice (meaning they can be re-filed in the future). We should mention his release is under the stipulation he can not initiate contact with either his alleged victim or his arresting officers, carry or intake any non-prescription drug, and drive without a license. The YouTuber even has to continue to provide officials with proof of his local address for at least a little while. Since then, though, he has moved forward to the best of his abilities and appears to be doing his best to provide for his wife and children in the way they need. For himself and his siblings, he testified during his mothers’ trial for murder as well as gave an impact statement during Chad’s sentencing.
Read More: Where Are Lori Vallow Daybell’s Parents Now?
