‘DOOMSDAY Mom’ Lori Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell have been charged with the murders of her two younger children, JJ Vallow, and Tylee Ryan, as well as the murder of Daybell’s ex-wife, Tammy Daybell. The shocking crimes were linked to the couple’s radical religious beliefs.
Both Vallow and Daybell are Mormons who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They were part of a group called Preparing A People, which some Idaho residents have described as a cult due to their extreme doomsday ideologies. However, Preparing A People has denied any connection to Vallow and Daybell.
According to a member of the religious group, the couple believed in communicating with spirits and stockpiling supplies for the end of the world. Another woman described the group as an “extremist group” rather than a cult.
Preparing A People, associated with the couple, distanced themselves from Vallow and Daybell, stating they are a multimedia company that hosts educational lecture events on self-reliance and personal preparation.
Vallow and Daybell were indicted on first-degree murder charges in May 2021 for the deaths of the children. Daybell was also charged with his ex-wife’s murder, initially thought to be from natural causes. The bodies of JJ and Tylee were found in Daybell’s backyard in June 2020, leading to the arrests.
Vallow was convicted of all charges in May 2023 and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole in July 2023.
Daybell’s trial began in April 2024, with charges of three counts of murder in connection to the deaths, as reported by ABC and the Associated Press. The trial is expected to last nine weeks.
