LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar can’t recall many cases as complex as the case involving Lori Vallow Daybell.
Vallow Daybell, the mother of two children who were reported missing at a time and were later found dead in Idaho, was arrested on Kaua‘i on February of 2020 based on a warrant issued in Madison County, Idaho.
According to court documents, she faced multiple charges including two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of children.
“It’s definitely one of the most complicated and tragic cases I’ve encountered in my career,” Kollar said. “I really hope those affected by the case find closure, especially JJ and Tylee’s ‘ohana.”
JJ is Joshua Jaxon Vallow, who would be 7, and Tylee is Tylee Ashlyn Ryan, who would be 16. They were found in a shallow grave in Idaho.
Vallow Daybell and husband Chad Daybell have been charged with conspircy to commit murder, and the trial for both of them is slated to start in July, according to Madison County, Idaho court documents.
Vallow and her then-boyfriend, Chad Daybell, turned up on Kaua‘i after authorities in Idaho started questioning them about her missing children. They married soon after arriving on Kaua‘i. Vallow owns a vacation home on the island that she shared with former husband Charles Vallow in 2014 before divorcing him in 2018.
Charles Vallow stated that his wife claimed to be “God” and threatened to kill him, according to court documents filed during their divorce. Lori Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, killed Charles Vallow in July of 2019, claiming self defense. The East Idaho News reported that Cox died of a blood clot in his lung in December of 2019, so the case never went to trial.
Lori Vallow Daybell eventually moved her children to Rexburg, Idaho, where author Chad Daybell lived with his family. She had become obsessed with small-time author Daybell’s fictional series called “Standing in Holy Places,” when she first lived on Kaua’i with her then-husband Charles Vallow.
Chad Daybell and Lori
Vallow Daybell began a relationship shortly thereafter.
The Vallow case involves the death of her two children, Tylee Ashlyn Ryan and Joshua Jaxon “JJ” Vallow.
Tylee, 16, and Joshua, 7, were both discovered dead in June of 2020 on Chad Daybell’s Idaho property after going missing in September of 2019, according to East Idaho News reports.
Vallow Daybell was arrested on Feb. 20, 2020, after being spotted in Princeville, and detained at the Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center on a $5 million bond. Rexburg police arrested Chad Daybell on June 9, 2020. Lori Vallow Daybell was extradited to Idaho, which made the case even more unusual.
“In an extradition proceeding, if the wanted person contests the extradition, our role is to secure a government warrant from the state where the person is wanted and then have it validated by our government,” Kollar said. “We also need to prove to the court that the person wanted in the other state is the same person we actually have in custody.”
The process of extradition can be done in a variety of ways, including a comparison of fingerprints, photographs or identification by a relative or other familiar person.
Lori Daybell is now facing conspiracy-of-murder charges in Arizona in the death of her third husband in addition to the charge she is facing in Idaho.
Chad Daybell is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and is also still in custody.
After Lori Daybell’s bail hearing in Idaho, her bond was reduced from $5 million to $1 million, in March of 2020.
It’s been reported by the East Idaho News that local bond companies are refusing to assist her in the attempt to bail out of jail.
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Jason Blasco, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or jblasco@thegardenisland.com.
