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Where Is Lori Vallow Daybell Now? Inside the Life, Murders and Convictions of the ‘Doomsday Mom’

Ryan Gill

Lori Vallow Daybell, the Idaho mother convicted of murdering her two youngest children and conspiring to kill members of her family, is serving multiple life sentences following criminal trials in Idaho and Arizona. Her case became one of America’s most closely followed murder investigations, exposing a series of deaths connected to apocalyptic religious beliefs, financial interests and her relationship with author Chad Daybell.

Her crimes are revisited in Dateline NBC: Blindsided, airing Friday, October 23, 2026, at 9/8c. Correspondent Keith Morrison examines the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, the former husband of Lori’s niece, and interviews him about the October 2019 shooting outside his Arizona home.

Boudreaux’s survival became an important part of the wider investigation. Prosecutors established that Lori conspired with her brother, Alex Cox, to have him killed, adding another conviction to those involving the deaths of her children, Joshua “J.J.” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, and Chad Daybell’s wife, Tammy.

The convictions brought an end to the major criminal trials against Lori, but the consequences of her actions continue to affect the families of the victims. The October 2026 Dateline investigation returns to the events that led to her imprisonment and the questions surrounding the attempted murder of Boudreaux.

Who Is Lori Vallow Daybell?

Lori Vallow Daybell was born Lori Norene Cox on June 26, 1973, in San Bernardino, California. She grew up in a family associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and later lived in several states, including Arizona, Texas and Hawaii.

Before the murder investigations, Lori was known as a mother whose life included multiple marriages and a blended family. She had three children: her eldest son, Colby Ryan; her daughter, Tylee Ryan; and her adopted son, Joshua Jaxon “J.J.” Vallow.

Her public image changed after investigators began examining the disappearance of Tylee and J.J. in 2019. The search exposed a network of relationships and deaths involving Lori, her brother Alex Cox and Chad Daybell, an Idaho author whose religious writings influenced her beliefs.

Lori became known in media coverage as the “Doomsday Mom,” a reference to the apocalyptic teachings associated with her relationship with Chad. The nickname reflected the prosecution’s evidence about religious extremism, although the criminal convictions concerned specific acts of murder, conspiracy and theft.

Lori Vallow’s Marriages and Family Life

Lori had been married several times before meeting Chad Daybell. Her marriages included relationships with Colby’s father, William Lagioia, and Tylee’s father, Joseph Ryan, whose death in 2018 later attracted public scrutiny.

She married Charles Vallow in 2006. The couple adopted J.J., Charles’s grandnephew, and raised him alongside Lori’s older children.

Charles worked in business and supported the family as they lived in Arizona and Hawaii. Relatives described a family life that changed as Lori developed an interest in religious teachings involving spiritual possession, reincarnation and an approaching apocalypse.

By early 2019, Charles had become concerned about Lori’s behaviour and filed for divorce. He reported threats against his life and told authorities that Lori had claimed he was possessed by an evil spirit.

Their marriage deteriorated during the same period that Lori became involved with Chad Daybell. The breakdown preceded Charles’s death in July 2019 and the disappearance of Tylee and J.J. that September.

How Lori Vallow Met Chad Daybell

Chad Daybell was an Idaho author and publisher whose books explored religious prophecy, near-death experiences and the end of the world. He was married to Tammy Daybell, with whom he had five children.

Lori encountered Chad through religious gatherings and conferences attended by people interested in his teachings. Their relationship developed into a romantic involvement while both remained married to other people.

Witnesses later testified that Lori and Chad discussed spiritual identities, past lives and the classification of individuals as light or dark. They claimed certain people had become zombies after evil spirits entered their bodies.

Prosecutors argued that these beliefs became part of a system used to justify violence against people the couple regarded as obstacles. The prosecution also identified financial benefits and the couple’s desire to marry as motives.

The relationship became central to the criminal cases because the deaths of Charles Vallow, Tammy Daybell, Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow occurred during the period when Lori and Chad were establishing their life together.

The Religious Beliefs Behind the Vallow Daybell Case

The Idaho and Arizona trials examined teachings that Lori and Chad shared with members of their religious circle. Witnesses described discussions about spiritual rankings, evil possession and the belief that some people had been replaced by hostile spirits.

According to testimony, the group used the term “zombie” to describe individuals whose original spirits were believed to have departed their bodies. The couple also claimed to have spiritual authority to identify people who had become dark.

Charles Vallow was among those Lori allegedly described as possessed. Witnesses testified that she regarded him as no longer the person he had been, an allegation prosecutors used to explain her hostility towards him.

The prosecution maintained that Lori and Chad used their religious claims to rationalise killings that also served personal and financial objectives. Their beliefs were presented as evidence of motive and intent, not as a defence for the crimes.

The case drew attention to the distinction between established religious traditions and the extreme claims advanced within Lori and Chad’s circle. The murders were prosecuted as criminal acts involving identifiable victims, evidence and conspiracies.

What Happened to Lori Vallow’s Husband Charles Vallow?

Charles Vallow was shot and killed on July 11, 2019, at a home in Chandler, Arizona. He had arrived to collect J.J. when an argument developed involving Lori, Tylee and Lori’s brother, Alex Cox.

Cox told police that Charles had threatened him with a baseball bat and that he fired in self-defence. Charles died from gunshot wounds, and Cox was not charged before his own death later that year.

Investigators questioned the accounts provided by Lori and Cox as additional evidence emerged. Charles had filed for divorce months before the shooting and had reported that Lori threatened his life.

Prosecutors alleged that Lori conspired with Cox to murder Charles so she could pursue a relationship with Chad Daybell and benefit from a $1 million life insurance policy.

Charles had changed the policy beneficiary to his sister, Kay Woodcock, preventing Lori from receiving the money. The financial evidence became part of the prosecution’s account of the conspiracy.

In April 2025, an Arizona jury convicted Lori of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in Charles’s death. The verdict established her criminal responsibility for the plot.

The Disappearance of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow

Lori’s children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and seven-year-old J.J. Vallow, disappeared in September 2019 after the family moved to Rexburg, Idaho.

Tylee was last seen during a family visit to Yellowstone National Park with Lori, J.J. and Alex Cox. J.J. was last seen later that month, after which relatives were unable to establish his whereabouts.

Concerns intensified when family members attempted to contact the children. J.J.’s grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, pressed authorities for answers as investigators examined Lori’s statements about where the children were living.

Police conducted a welfare check in November 2019 but could not locate J.J. Lori provided explanations about his whereabouts that investigators found inconsistent with the evidence.

Lori and Chad travelled to Hawaii while authorities continued searching for the children. In February 2020, Lori was arrested after failing to comply with a court order requiring her to produce them.

On June 9, 2020, investigators discovered the remains of Tylee and J.J. buried on Chad Daybell’s property in Idaho. The discovery confirmed that both children had been murdered and became the foundation of the criminal case against their mother and Chad.

The Death of Tammy Daybell

Tammy Daybell, Chad’s wife and the mother of his five children, died at the family home in Idaho on October 19, 2019. Her death was initially treated as resulting from natural causes.

Tammy had reported an incident earlier that month in which a masked individual approached her outside the home and appeared to aim what she believed was a paintball gun at her.

Investigators revisited the circumstances of Tammy’s death after the disappearance of Lori’s children drew attention to Chad and Lori’s relationship. Tammy’s body was exhumed in December 2019 for further examination.

Chad married Lori in Hawaii on November 5, 2019, just 17 days after Tammy died. Their marriage became an important part of the prosecution’s timeline.

Prosecutors argued that Tammy had been killed so Chad and Lori could marry and pursue their plans without their existing spouses. The evidence concerning her death was presented during both defendants’ Idaho trials.

Lori was convicted of conspiring to murder Tammy, while Chad was convicted of her first-degree murder.

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