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

The criminal trial against Lori Vallow Daybell – a 49-year-old Rexburg, Idaho, mother accused of killing her two children – involves several states, families and a monthslong search for her kids.

Vallow Daybell, and her husband, Chad Daybell, are charged with the first-degree murders of 7-year-old Joshua Jaxon “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.

The Daybells – who had a monthslong affair before getting married – are accused of conspiring to kill Chad Daybell’s then-wife, Tammy Daybell, along with Vallow Daybell’s two children. Vallow Daybell faces a felony charge in Arizona as well for allegedly conspiring to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.

Chad Daybell – whose trial date hasn’t been set – also faces a first-degree murder charge in Tammy Daybell’s death. Chad and Lori got married on a Hawaii beach two weeks after Tammy Daybell’s body was buried in a Utah cemetery, according to witness testimony in Vallow Daybell’s trial.

Authorities said they believe Lori’s brother, Alex Cox – who died from natural causes – also conspired to kill JJ, Tylee and Tammy Daybell, according to the indictment filed by prosecution teams from Madison and Fremont counties.

In September 2019, Vallow Daybell moved to Rexburg from Arizona – just months after Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Cox – and her children went missing less than a month later. They were found dead in shallow graves on Chad Daybell’s property nine months later in June 2020.

In the months between, Tammy Daybell was also killed and the then-husband of Vallow Daybell’s niece, Melani Pawlowski, was shot at in Arizona. Police said they believe Cox attempted to shoot Brandon Boudreaux in October 2019, according to KSL.

Here are some of the key people involved in the case:

Lori Vallow Daybell, a 49-year-old Rexburg mother, accused of killing her two children, JJ and Tylee, and conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s then-wife. Vallow Daybell is currently on trial at the Ada County Courthouse.

Chad Daybell is the fifth and current husband of Lori Vallow Daybell. The 54-year-old Idaho father is accused of murder in the death of Vallow Daybell’s two children along with his then-wife, Tammy Daybell. Chad Daybell’s jury trial hasn’t been scheduled. He is in custody at the Fremont County Jail.

Charles Vallow, the fourth husband of Lori Vallow Daybell, was fatally shot by his wife’s brother. Shortly before he died, he changed the beneficiary of his $1 million life insurance policy from his wife to his sister.

Witnesses have had differing accounts on whether Vallow Daybell knew about the life insurance change before he died. Multiple witnesses have said in testimony or presented evidence that Vallow Daybell wasn’t aware he’d changed his policy before he died, but one witness – Vallow Daybell’s former friend Melanie Gibb – said Vallow Daybell knew.

Alex Cox was the brother of Vallow Daybell who fatally shot his sister’s husband, Charles Vallow, in Arizona. He moved to Idaho around the same time as Vallow Daybell in September 2019, but went back and forth between Idaho and Arizona.

Prosecutors in both Idaho and Arizona said he conspired to kill JJ, Tylee, Tammy Daybell and Charles Vallow. But he was never formally charged with a crime because the 51-year-old died from a blood clot in December 2019.

Tammy Daybell, the first wife of Chad Daybell, died in October 2019. Authorities initially believed the 49-year-old woman died from natural causes in her sleep, but an autopsy later declared her death a homicide by asphyxiation. Tammy and Chad Daybell had five children together.

Charles Vallow emailed Tammy Daybell less than a month before he was killed, informing her about an affair between Chad and Lori. Police said it’s unclear whether she ever received the email before her death.

Tylee Ryan was Vallow Daybell’s biological daughter. The 16-year-old was killed just a few days before her 17th birthday, and her body was found dismembered in June 2020 on Chad Daybell’s property.

Joshua Jaxon “JJ” Vallow was the adopted son of Charles and Lori Daybell. The 7-year-old boy was killed and found buried in a shallow grave in June 2020 on Chad Daybell’s property.

Kay and Larry Woodcock are JJ’s biological grandparents, who were outspoken to the media as authorities searched for Tylee and JJ. They asked the Rexburg Police Department to perform a welfare check on JJ in November 2019. Kay Woodcock’s son was the biological father of JJ, but the Woodcocks had guardianship over JJ until the Vallows adopted him.

Melani Pawlowski is the niece of Vallow Daybell. According to her ex-husband, she had similar extreme religious beliefs as the Daybells. They believed the world was going to end and that they needed to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Brandon Boudreaux is the ex-husband of Vallow Daybell’s niece, Melani Pawlowski. He was shot at in Arizona in October 2019, and police said they believe that Cox was the one who tried to shoot him.

Melanie Gibb is a former friend of Lori’s, who – along with her now-husband David Warwick – was one of the last people to see JJ alive. Gibb participated in “castings” with Vallow Daybell and others. Gibb said they believed they were casting out dark spirits who were possessing people.

Zulema Pastenes is the widow of Cox. Pastenes also participated in “castings” with Vallow Daybell and others.

Joseph “Joe” Ryan was the third husband of Lori Daybell. He adopted Colby Ryan and was the biological father of Tylee. He died from a heart attack in 2018.

Joe Ryan’s sister, Annie Cushing, told East Idaho News that she has questioned her brother’s death. She told the news outlet that “it is feasible that he could have died of a heart attack,” but she has “questions about the autopsy.” Joe Ryan was cremated.

Colby Ryan is Vallow Daybell’s eldest son. He was adopted by her third husband. Colby Ryan in a jail recording accused his mother of killing his siblings.

Samantha Gwilliam is Tammy Daybell’s sister. Gwilliam told the police the location of the pet cemetery on Chad’s and Tammy’s Salem, Idaho, property, which led to authorities finding Tylee’s remains, according to East Idaho News.

William LaGioia is the second husband of Vallow Daybell. He’s Colby Ryan’s biological father.