‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow to be sent to Arizona to face new charges
Lori Vallow, the so-called “cult mom” who was sentenced to life in an Idaho prison for the murders of her children and another woman, will soon be on her way to Arizona to face charges in the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.
The tangled web of mysterious deaths surrounding Lori Vallow and her cult leader husband Chad Daybell, who also faces similar charges, began to unravel in November 2019 when a search began for her missing children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, while they were living in Arizona.
The following June, their bodies were found buried in Daybell’s backyard in Rexburg, Idaho. Vallow has since been convicted of their murders and conspiring to kill her husband’s former wife, Tammy Daybell. She received three consecutive life sentences.
On Wednesday, Idaho Gov Brad Little signed an extradition warrant allowing Arizona officials to temporarily take custody of Vallow so she can face more criminal charges.
“It is hereby agreed by the undersigned, the Governor of the State of Idaho and the Governor of the State of Arizona, that Lori Vallow … will be extradited pursuant to this agreement from the State of Idaho to the State of Arizona for trial,” the executive agreement states.
“The State of Arizona may obtain custody of the said fugitive … and the said fugitive may be transferred back and forth between the State of Arizona and the State of Idaho.”
Kay Woodcock, Charles Vallow’s sister, responded to the news on X formerly Twitter, “Praise the Lord!!!! Governor signs Lori Vallow Daybell’s extradition to Arizona #justiceforcharles. FINALLY!!!”
Ms Woodock and her husband Larry, who are also JJ Vallow’s grandparents, have been waiting years for justice for their loved ones. Last week, an Idaho judge signed an order releasing his body to them more than three years after the 7-year-old was smothered and found buried in a shallow grave still wearing his red pyjamas, according to court documents.
“1567… The number of days keeps increasing as we fight for justice. FINALLY!!!!,” she wrote in a statement to East Idaho News. “We are not sure when she will be moved but are thrilled with progress. Simply knowing it’s in motion, leaves us feeling relieved and happy.”
Vallow still lived in a Phoenix suburb with her children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and then-16-year-old Tylee Ryan, when they went missing.
Extended family members had also grown worried about the missing kids, and police launched a multi-state investigation looking for the children.
She was estranged from her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, at the time, and he had written in divorce filings that she claimed to be a goddess sent to usher in the Biblical apocalypse.
Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, that summer. Cox told police he acted in self-defence, and he was never charged. Cox died later that year of what investigators said were natural causes.
Shortly after Charles Vallow died, Lori Vallow and her kids moved to Idaho. Prosecutors said she made the move to be closer to her then-boyfriend, Chad Daybell, and that together the two plotted to remove any obstacle to their happiness.
Two weeks before they got married on a beach in Hawaii while the children were missing, Daybell’s then-wife, Tammy Daybell, died of what was initially believed to be natural causes.
But authorities became suspicious when Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell married just two weeks later, later determining Tammy Daybell had been asphyxiated.
Meanwhile, another person connected to the family reported an attempted shooting. Brandon Boudreaux, who had recently divorced Vallow Daybell’s niece, said someone driving a Jeep had shot at him outside his home. The Jeep matched the description of one that had been purchased by Charles Vallow before his death.
The Arizona indictment charges Lori Vallow with conspiring to kill Charles Vallow and Mr Boudreaux.
Jim Archibald, who represented Lori Vallow in the Idaho trial, said he was not representing her in the Arizona case and that she had not yet been appointed an attorney there.
“I’ve talked to the public defenders in Phoenix, so they’re waiting for her to get there, and when she gets there they’ll assign an attorney,” Mr Archibald said. He declined to comment to the Associated Press on the Arizona charges.
Lori Vallow remains incarcerated in Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center as of Wednesday afternoon. If found guilty of the conspiracy charges in Arizona, she could face another life sentence.
Chad Daybell has been in the Fremont County Jail since he was arrested in June 2020. He is set to stand trial 1 April on murder charges in Ada County, where his wife was tried. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
