Day 16: Tylee’s remains had ‘sharp trauma,’ forensic anthropologist says at Daybell trial

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In the last four weeks, prosecutors have begun to explain why they say Lori Vallow Daybell — a 49-year-old Rexburg mother — killed her two children.

They’ve presented cellphone records, had law enforcement testify about finding 7-year-old Joshua Jaxon “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan’s remains, and asked friends to explain the Daybells’ fringe religious beliefs that people could be possessed by dark spirits and need to be cast out.

The Daybells, who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had a months-long affair before getting married, are being tried separately. Lori Daybell’s trial began early this month and could last another four weeks.

They are charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of JJ and Tylee, along with three counts of conspiracy to commit murder. Vallow Daybell is accused of conspiring to kill Chad Daybell’s then-wife, Tammy Daybell.

READ MORE: Lori Vallow Daybell’s case spans 3 states, 4 deaths. Here are all the key people involved.

Chad Daybell — who has a hearing scheduled for May 4 — also faces a first-degree murder charge in Tammy Daybell’s death. And Vallow Daybell faces a felony charge for allegedly conspiring to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, with her brother Alex Cox.

Chad and Lori got married on a Hawaii beach two weeks after Tammy Daybell’s body was buried in a Utah cemetery, according to witnesses throughout the trial.

Authorities said they believe Cox — who died of natural causes — also conspired to kill JJ, Tylee and Tammy Daybell, according to the indictment filed by prosecution teams from Madison and Fremont counties.

The 18-person jury — which will be whittled down to 12 deciding jurors — is expected to continue hearing testimony from FBI Special Agent Steve Daniels about law enforcement’s search of Chad Daybell’s property.

Check this story for live updates on Vallow Daybell’s trial.

3 p.m. — Tylee’s remains had ‘sharp trauma’ to the pelvic region

FBI forensic anthropologist Angi Christensen — who examined Tylee’s skeletal remains — said there were five areas in Tylee’s “pelvic region” that had damage.

Christensen began testifying Tuesday afternoon but spoke for only about 30 minutes before court was adjourned for the day. She will return to the Ada County Courthouse on Thursday morning.

Christensen said that three bones — Tylee’s hip bones and the bottom of the spine — had “sharp trauma” from an unidentified tool. Christensen couldn’t identify the tool but said it was something with a bevel or a point. There was also evidence that a carnivore had bitten Tylee’s femur bone, she said.

Christensen said that typically when someone is dismembered, their remains are removed at the joints, but in Tylee’s case that isn’t what happened. Instead, she said, “all of these sharp traumas are in the pelvic region.”

2:15 p.m. — Defense cross-examines medical examiner

One of Vallow Daybell’s defense attorneys, John Thomas, questioned Chief Forensic Pathologist Garth Warren Wednesday asking him to explain how he knew JJ’s manner of death. Warren said earlier in the day that JJ died by asphyxiation because of a plastic bag over his head and duct tape over his mouth.

Thomas questioned whether the plastic could have been put over JJ’s head after he died, to which Warren responded that he guessed it could be possible. But Warren said he knows JJ died from asphyxiation because he found nothing else wrong with the boy during the autopsy.

Warren said that he didn’t take a swab of JJ’s nasals during the autopsy, which Thomas questioned and asked him why he didn’t, citing his knowledge of crime movies and television.

“That’s scary,” Warren quickly responded, referring to the fact that Thomas was asking medical questions based on television.

Thomas then asked Warren how he was making his determination.

“My knowledge,” Warren said. He was excused for the day around 2:30 p.m., but the defense could call him back as a witness later in the trial.

12 p.m. — Medical examiner testifies about Tylee’s autopsy

Tylee’s death was ruled a “homicide by unspecified means,” Warren said. The lack of autopsy findings and medical records, Warren said, meant he couldn’t pinpoint exactly how Tylee died, but he said he believes she was killed.

“Tylee’s case was different,” said Warren, who works for the Ada County Coroner’s Office. He said that he received seven bags with Tylee’s remains, two of which were black body bags.

Warren said that there was no evidence that Tylee was burned alive. The 16-year-old’s remains were found burned, melted, in pieces and located in two different places — a fire pit and buried underground inside a melted green bucket.

READ MORE: Medical examiner testifies about how Lori Vallow Daybell’s children died

11 a.m. — Judge rules autopsy photos won’t be public

The prosecution asked to admit over 30 photos from JJ’s autopsy, but the defense objected.

While it’s not the first time the court room has seen autopsy photos of JJ’s body, 7th District Judge Steven Boyce said the additional photos were very graphic.

“These are photos of what actually happened,” the prosecution argued, asking for the photos to be admitted.

After about a 15-minute sidebar, Boyce ruled that showing the photographs to the public would be “inappropriate” because of their graphic nature. He added that the photographs would have been sized up, since images were being presented on projectors in both the courtroom and overflow room.

The jury panel, along with the attorneys, Boyce and Vallow Daybell are able to see the photographs on their individual monitors, but the public was unable to see them.

9:40 a.m. — JJ died by asphyxiation, medical examiner says

JJ died by asphyxiation because of a plastic bag over his head and duct tape over his mouth, Warren said during his testimony Wednesday. The children were found dead in shallow graves on the Salem, Idaho, property owned by Chad Daybell.

Warren said he performed a four-hour autopsy on JJ on June 11, 2020 — two days after the children’s bodies were found.

JJ had a scratch on the left side of his neck, which Warren said was a “red flag.” He noted that while he couldn’t say for certain what caused the scratch, he said he wondered whether JJ was trying to get the bag off his head.

Warren also noted that JJ’s body was in a state of decomposition, and that he had bruising to his forearms from being bound with duct tape. Rexburg Police Det. Ray Hermosillo previously said that JJ’s body was found wrapped in a black trash bag and his hands and feet were bound with duct tape, according to his April 11 testimony.

READ MORE: Lori Vallow Daybell’s 7-year-old son died by asphyxiation, medical examiner says

8:45 a.m. — ‘Such a big contrast’ in the way JJ and Tylee were buried, FBI agent says

Daniels, who wrapped up his testimony Wednesday morning, said that law enforcement tried to dig around and below JJ’s grave site in an attempt to find Tylee’s remains — because at that point they hadn’t located Tylee. Both of the children’s bodies were found in June 2020 on Chad Daybell’s property.

There was a big difference in the way that JJ and Tylee were buried, Daniels said. JJ’s body was found in a garbage bag and he had been bound with duct tape, while Tylee’s remains were found dismembered, burnt and in two locations, the pet cemetery and the fire pit.

He said that law enforcement at first “couldn’t even tell that” Tylee’s remains were human and added that there was “such a big contrast” in the way they were buried. Police said they believed that Tylee was killed first on Sept. 8- 9, and JJ was killed two weeks later on Sept. 22-23.