Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow could face the death penalty after being indicted on multiple murder charges relating to the deaths of Vallow's two children and Daybell’s former wife.
In a press conference Tuesday, Madison and Fremont County prosecutors said the Rexburg couple faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Lori Vallow’s children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old JJ Vallow. Chad Daybell faces another first-degree murder count in the death of his former wife, Tammy Daybell and Vallow is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in Tammy Daybell’s death.
The indictments were handed down nearly one year after the bodies of Ryan and Vallow were discovered on Daybell’s property in June 2020. The children’s disappearance in early 2020 set off a frenzied search while Daybell and Vallow were on vacation in Hawaii.
Vallow was also charged with grand theft for allegedly collecting survivor benefits after her children’s disappearance and Daybell was charged with insurance fraud related to a policy he had on Tammy Daybell.
Tammy’s death had been under investigation for more than a year.
Vallow and Daybell have been in jail on related charges since the children's remains were found but this is the first time they have been directly tied to their killings.
Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake acknowledged that many people in the community felt progress on the case has been slow. But she said only recently have prosecutors been given permission to appear before the Grand Jury due to safety restrictions placed by the courts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After Daybell and Vallow enter a plea, prosecutors will have 60 days to decide whether to pursue the death penalty.
