The Case of Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan

Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, and his older sister Tylee Ryan, 16, disappeared in Rexburg, Idaho, in September 2019. Tylee was last confirmed seen on September 8, while JJ was last seen on September 22. Their mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, and her husband, Chad Daybell, later faced murder charges. Investigators discovered the children's remains buried on Daybell's property in June 2020. Lori was convicted of their murders in 2023, and Chad was convicted and sentenced to death in 2024.

Joshua "JJ" Vallow was seven years old and Tylee Ryan was 16 when both disappeared in September 2019. The children were living with their mother, Lori Vallow, in Rexburg, Idaho, after Lori had moved there with JJ and Tylee earlier that year. Lori became involved with Chad Daybell, a religious author who promoted apocalyptic beliefs and taught that some people could become possessed by evil spirits. The relationship developed rapidly, and Lori and Chad married in Hawaii in November 2019, approximately two months after the children disappeared. Tylee was last reliably seen on September 8, 2019, during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park. JJ was last seen alive on September 22, 2019, at his home in Rexburg. The children's disappearance did not immediately result in a missing-person report. Concern escalated after family members became unable to establish their whereabouts and discovered inconsistencies in explanations given about where the children were.

The children's remains were eventually discovered on June 9, 2020, on Chad Daybell's property near Salem, Idaho. Investigators searching the property identified two separate areas of interest. JJ's remains were found buried in an area of the property after investigators identified disturbed ground and excavated beneath layers of materials. Tylee's remains were discovered in another area near Daybell's pet cemetery. Her remains had been burned and dismembered, making the recovery and identification particularly difficult. The remains were formally identified as those of JJ and Tylee following autopsies. Authorities announced the identification on June 13, 2020.

The investigation began as a missing-children case but rapidly expanded after detectives identified inconsistencies in the accounts given by Lori and people around her. Investigators examined interviews, cellphone records and location data belonging to Alex Cox, Lori's brother. His cellphone data placed him on Chad Daybell's property at locations that later became associated with the children's remains. Lori had also provided explanations for the children's absence that investigators ultimately determined were false. The investigation gained national attention as authorities searched for the missing children. In February 2020, Lori was arrested in Hawaii on charges relating to the children's disappearance and was later extradited to Idaho. Chad Daybell was arrested on June 9, 2020, after investigators discovered the remains on his property. He was initially charged with concealment or destruction of evidence before later facing murder charges. Prosecutors ultimately alleged that Lori and Chad, together with Alex Cox, were involved in the deaths of JJ and Tylee. Evidence presented at Lori's trial included testimony about the couple's beliefs concerning "zombies" and their changing explanations for the children's whereabouts. Lori was tried first. In May 2023, an Idaho jury found Lori guilty of the first-degree murders of JJ and Tylee, as well as conspiracy to commit their murders and other charges. She was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Chad was subsequently tried separately. In May 2024, a jury found Chad guilty of murdering JJ, Tylee and his first wife, Tammy Daybell, as well as other charges. He was sentenced to death.

Lori Vallow Daybell was convicted of the first-degree murders of Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Chad Daybell was convicted of their murders and sentenced to death. The convictions established the deaths of both children as murders and brought the criminal investigation into their disappearance to trial conclusions.

The disappearance of JJ and Tylee became one of the most closely followed missing-children investigations in the United States after investigators discovered that both children had been missing for months while Lori and Chad had continued their lives without publicly accounting for their whereabouts. The discovery of both children's remains on Chad Daybell's property transformed the investigation into a double-murder case and became the central element of the prosecution of both Lori and Chad.