Lori Vallow compared son JJ to ‘zombie’ morning after his disappearance, witness says during Chad Daybell hearing
The day after JJ Vallow was last seen, his mom, Lori, told a friend that he had been “acting like a zombie.”
In the second day of the preliminary hearing of Chad Daybell, Lori Vallow’s husband who has been charged in the disappearance of 8-year-old JJ and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, family friend David Warwick said he spent the weekend at Vallow’s apartment in Rexburg, Idaho, with her and his girlfriend, Melanie Gibb.
The night that JJ went missing, Sept. 21, Warwick was recording a podcast with Vallow and Gibb in the Rexburg apartment, he testified Tuesday. The young autistic boy was staying with Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, in a nearby apartment before he came home to sleep.
The next morning, Warwick testified, he went downstairs and found Vallow and Gibb.
“She said JJ was being a zombie,” Warwick said of Vallow. “He was out of control so she had Alex come get him.”
JJ was never seen again after that night and his dead body, still wearing red pajamas and black Skechers sneakers, was found buried in Daybell’s backyard on June 20.
The burned remains of his sister, Tylee, were found the same day.
Daybell stands charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence, and two felony counts of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence.
Vallow, who he married in Hawaii on Nov. 25 just weeks after his wife, Tammy, died, was arrested on Feb. 20 and charged with two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children and misdemeanor charges of resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime and contempt.
No charges have been filed in relation to JJ and Tylee’s deaths.
Gibb, who described herself as close friends with Vallow, completed her testimony after Monday’s hearing, during which she described Vallow asking her to lie about JJ’s whereabouts. Vallow initially told Rexburg police officers that her son was staying with Gibb in Arizona when his grandmother, Kay Woodcock, requested a welfare check in late November.
Gibb initially told police that JJ was with her, then took back her statement and said Vallow had told her to confirm the story; Gibb testified Monday that she felt “horrible” about lying.
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