Lori Vallow Daybell Called Her Children “Zombies” Before Their Deaths — Now She Faces Seven Life Sentences

Lori Vallow Daybell’s case shocked the United States after investigators discovered the remains of her two missing children buried on her new husband’s property. What began as a missing-person investigation developed into a complex criminal case involving apocalyptic religious beliefs, multiple deaths and allegations of a plot to eliminate people who stood in the way of the couple’s plans.

Vallow Daybell was convicted in Idaho in 2023 of murdering her daughter, Tylee Ryan, 16, and her adopted son, Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7. She was also convicted of conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, the first wife of her fifth husband, Chad Daybell.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Vallow and Chad had embraced extreme end-times beliefs and described certain people, including the children, as “zombies” possessed by dark spirits. Investigators argued that these beliefs became intertwined with the crimes, although the defendants’ religious claims were not accepted as a justification for their actions.

The children disappeared after their mother’s life changed

Vallow, born Lori Norene Cox in California in 1973, had been married several times before meeting Chad Daybell, an author who promoted apocalyptic religious ideas. She had two children, Tylee and J.J., and had previously appeared to relatives and acquaintances to be a devoted mother.

People close to Vallow later described a significant change in her behavior after she met Chad in 2018. Her former husband, Charles Vallow, also raised concerns about her beliefs and made allegations about threats against his life in divorce proceedings.

Charles was shot and killed by Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona in July 2019. Cox claimed he acted in self-defense and was never charged in connection with the death. Vallow was subsequently convicted in Arizona of conspiring to murder Charles.

In September 2019, Tylee and J.J. disappeared from public view. Relatives became increasingly concerned after they could not establish the children’s whereabouts. Investigators later found that Vallow and Chad had left Idaho for Hawaii, while authorities were still searching for the missing children.

The investigation took a devastating turn in June 2020, when law enforcement discovered Tylee’s and J.J.’s remains buried on Chad’s property in Rexburg, Idaho.

A third death deepened the investigation

The investigation also focused on the death of Tammy Daybell, Chad’s first wife, who died in October 2019. Her death was initially attributed to natural causes, but investigators later exhumed her body. An autopsy determined that she had died from asphyxiation, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Chad married Vallow in November 2019, only weeks after Tammy’s death and shortly before the missing-children case drew widespread attention.

In May 2024, Chad was convicted of murdering Tylee, J.J. and Tammy. He was sentenced to death.

Vallow received three consecutive life sentences without parole in Idaho in 2023 for the murders and conspiracy convictions. In Arizona, she was later convicted of conspiring to murder Charles Vallow and Brandon Boudreaux, the former husband of her niece. Those convictions resulted in two additional life sentences, bringing her total to seven life sentences across the two states.

Boudreaux survived a shooting in October 2019. Investigators linked the attempted attack to the wider conspiracy, and he has since spoken publicly about the warnings he received before the incident.

Vallow continues to maintain her innocence

During her 2023 sentencing, Vallow denied that the deaths of her children and Tammy were murders. She made religious statements about communicating with the dead and insisted that she knew the truth about what had happened.

In a 2025 interview with NBC’s Dateline, she again expressed confidence that she and Chad would eventually be exonerated.

Vallow has appealed her Idaho convictions, arguing, among other things, that her constitutional rights were violated during the proceedings. Her attorneys have challenged the removal of her original lawyer, the handling of competency proceedings and the use of evidence from the Arizona cases.

The state has argued that the trial court made no reversible errors and that the convictions should stand. The Idaho Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in her appeal for November 2, 2026. The hearing will give both sides an opportunity to present their arguments, but it will not itself necessarily determine the final outcome.

For the families affected by the case, the legal proceedings have unfolded against the backdrop of profound loss. The deaths of Tylee and J.J., along with the other crimes connected to the case, have made it one of the most closely followed criminal investigations in recent years.

As Vallow continues to challenge her convictions, the central question before the court is whether the legal proceedings that led to her sentences should be upheld. The appeal does not erase the jury’s verdicts, but it gives the court an opportunity to review the legal arguments raised by her defense.

Source: PEOPLE