Doomsday and Denial: The Children Lori Vallow Left Behind
Posted by Trin | Case Files | Child Homicide | Idaho & Arizona | 2019–2020
Introduction
Tylee Ryan was 16. JJ Vallow was 7. They were siblings, students, beloved family members—and they were both missing before anyone realized how serious it was.
Their mother, Lori Vallow, claimed they were safe. That they were “with friends.” That people just didn’t understand. But behind the smiles and religious talk was a web of deceit, control, and manipulation that left two children buried in shallow graves on a cold Idaho property.
This case isn’t just about murder. It’s about delusion, complicity, and how motherhood was weaponized instead of cherished.
Case Background
Lori Vallow was once a beauty queen, a cheerful suburban mom, and an active member of her church. But in 2019, everything began to unravel. Lori fell under the influence of Chad Daybell—a doomsday author who claimed to receive visions about the end of the world.
They shared increasingly bizarre religious beliefs: that people could be possessed, that children could become “zombies,” that salvation required eliminating dark spirits. Lori became convinced—or convinced others—that her own children were no longer themselves.
Meanwhile, suspicious deaths began to mount around them. Lori’s husband, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed by her brother. Chad’s wife died suddenly. And through it all, Lori insisted nothing was wrong—even as people begged to know where her children were.
Timeline of Key Events
- July 2019: Charles Vallow is shot and killed by Lori’s brother, Alex Cox. The death is ruled self-defense at the time.
- September 2019: Tylee and JJ are last seen alive in Rexburg, Idaho. Lori tells school officials JJ is being homeschooled.
- November 2019: Lori and Chad marry in Hawaii. Family members raise concerns. Police begin searching for the missing children.
- February 2020: Lori is arrested in Hawaii and extradited to Idaho for failing to produce her children.
- June 2020: The remains of Tylee and JJ are found buried in Chad Daybell’s backyard. JJ was wrapped in plastic and duct tape. Tylee was dismembered and burned.
- 2021–2023: Lori and Chad are charged with murder and conspiracy. Lori is found guilty in 2023 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Red Flags & Delusions
- Lori told people her children were “zombies.” She believed their spirits had been replaced by evil entities.
- She refused to produce the kids for welfare checks—even lying that JJ was with a family friend.
- Multiple suspicious deaths surrounded her: Charles Vallow, Tammy Daybell, and Alex Cox himself.
- Law enforcement hesitated early on—treating the case as a custody issue rather than a threat to the children's lives.
How do religious delusions escalate to murder? Why didn’t the legal system act faster? What role did others around them play in staying silent?
A Mom’s Reflection
This case is almost too surreal to believe. A mother calling her son “possessed.” A daughter dismembered and buried. And yet—for months—Lori smiled for cameras, sipped drinks in Hawaii, and refused to say a word about her children.
It hurts because this wasn’t just violence. It was a distortion of love. A betrayal of the very role we honor in mothers. And through it all, no one heard Tylee or JJ’s voices—until it was far too late.
They should have been playing, learning, dreaming. Instead, their lives ended in darkness, silence, and fire.
Lessons We Can’t Ignore
- “Religious beliefs” should never shield people from accountability.
- If someone suddenly withdraws their children from school, ask questions.
- Strange doesn’t mean harmless. Sometimes strange is deadly.
- Mothers aren’t always protectors—and that truth must be faced when children go quiet.
Final Words
Tylee and JJ were loved. They mattered. And they were let down by a mother who followed delusion over devotion. But their story doesn’t end in a backyard grave. It ends with justice. With truth. With people still saying their names.
We carry them forward by telling their story—and by never mistaking silence for safety again.
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