The world stood shocked after a suburban mom, Lori Vallow, was revealed to have murdered her two children. Despite Vallow’s defense team’s attempt to paint her as a “kind and loving mother to her children,” absolutely no one believed in those words.
According to witnesses, Lori believed her children had become “zombies” or possessed by evil spirits. The mother had complained multiple times that her children were zombies, and while one can dismiss it as a joke, it was very much a dark, twisted reality for Lori.
It wasn’t only the two children; Lori also accused her former husband, Charles Vallow, of being a zombie. Coincidentally, the people she labeled as dark spirits stood between her fifth marriage and social security payments.
The prosecution claimed that Lori is capable of using money, power, and sex to get rid of the obstacles in her path.
The Lori Vallow Case Explained
Lori Vallow was married to Charles Vallow and raised Tyler, Lori’s daughter from her previous marriage. The couple later adopted JJ Vallow, the grandson of Charles’ sister. It was a happy family until 2017, when Lori started reading books authored by Chad Daybell. The books suggested doomsday theories as well as zombies and evil spirits.
Lori and Chad met in 2018 and started a religious podcast together; soon afterward, Lori referred t her husband, Charles, as a demon. Charles decided to file for divorce as his wife had threatened to kill him, and he felt his and his children’s lives were in danger.
In July 2019, as Charles visited his children, he was shot dead by Alex Cox, Lori’s brother. Stories of self-defense were spun to shift the blame for the murder. Next, Lori moved to Idaho, closer to Chad’s house, and Alex Cox also moved together.
Tylee was last sighted in early September 2019 at the Yellowstone National Park. Within the same month, JJ Valow also disappears. The police stated that Cox’s GPS location showed him in Chad Daybell’s backyard both times.
After the children got out of the way, the next target was Daybell’s wife, who passed away due to asphyxiation at the hands of another. However, an autopsy of her body was denied by the family. Within two weeks of the death, Chad and Lori got married.
It wasn’t until November 2019 that the police were made aware of the children’s disappearance by JJ’s grandmother. In January 2020, authorities ordered Lori to produce her children, but she failed to do so, and Chad Daybell’s backyard was thoroughly searched. It was only then that the buried remains of Tylee and JJ were found in June 2020.
What Did Lori Do to Her Children?
Both Lori’s children, Tylee and Ryan, were found buried in the backyard of Chad Daybell, her current and fifth husband. Tylee was from her third marriage, and JJ was adopted during her fourth.
The brutally maimed body of JJ was found in a pet cemetery; he was found with a plastic bag tied over his head and with his mouth and body taped. There were signs of struggle, and he was asphyxiated. A toxin test of the deceased kid saw low levels of GHB, a date rape drug.
Tylee Ryan, on the other hand, was dismembered and buried in a fire pit. The means of her murder are unspecified, but it is confirmed that the deed was a homicide. Her death is probably even more brutal. While her brother arrived at the test as a whole, only parts of her came in bags. It wasn’t found if she was burnt alive or not.
Both the children died horrific deaths, and not too long after. From severe bruises to hemorrhages and strewn pieces of body organs and bones, a nightmare was unearthed in Daybell’s backyard.
The Lori-Chad couple could have conspired with Alex Cox to eliminate the children and their bodies.
What Is the Verdict on Lori Vallow?
A jury found Lori Vallow guilty of the first-degree murder of Tylee and JJ Vallow. She was also guilty of conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, her husband Chad Daybell’s former wife. While Lori Vallow will not face the death penalty, she will still face the worst penalty available.
Vallow is also guilty of stealing social security payments that were issued for her children. She was charged with Grand Theft as she received the funds for her children but never reported their missing status.
Why Did Lori Vallow Kill Her Children?
Prosecutors claimed that Lori murdered her children for their social security payments. Another motive was to get rid of them before marrying Chad Daybell, whose wife was also murdered for the same reason.
Lori manipulated her husband and brother to conspire together and bring an evil plan to fruition. The couple funneled money towards themselves after the murderers. Federal benefits and insurance payouts were also a motive.
How Do Religious Beliefs Tie into the Case?
Lori Vallow spiraled into doomsday and zombie theories when she started reading the works of Chad Daybell. After they both met and got along, her beliefs strengthened as she began to believe that zombies are people whose souls have been replaced by dark spirits. The only way to release the host body was by physical death.
Melanie Gibb, Lori’s former friend, stated that Lori had previously claimed Tylee to have become a zombie. The reason was Tylee’s refusal to babysit JJ. Gibb said that Lori later also concluded that JJ was another zombie.
Lori and Chad claimed to be members of the “Church of the Firstborn,” and their mission was to rid the world of zombies.
It is hard to separate this bizarre belief system from the crimes. Yet it is hard to say whether it is a religion that led to the deaths or simple greed. Alternatively, both can be equally involved as it makes a stronger motive for Lori to get rid of anyone she can’t manipulate by just calling them ‘zombies.
So what do you think of this mind-boggling and cold case? Could you ever imagine a mother in the role of a murderer? That too of her own children? Let us know your thoughts on the case and if you think Lori deserves even more severe punishment.