The chilling story of Lori Vallow Daybell, a mother who murdered her two children after becoming consumed by bizarre doomsday cult beliefs, continues to shock America years after her conviction.
The case, described by prosecutors as one of the most disturbing examples of religious delusion and manipulation, involved the deaths of Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7. Their mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, convinced herself that her children had turned into “zombies” possessed by evil spirits and that the only way to free their souls was to kill them.
Lori’s husband, Chad Daybell, a self-proclaimed prophet and author of doomsday-themed books, shared these delusional beliefs. He claimed to have lived 31 different lives on other earth-like planets and taught his followers that some people were “light” while others were “dark,” depending on whether they were aligned with God or controlled by evil.
According to prosecutors, Lori and Chad categorized both Tylee and JJ as dark spirits, believing their bodies had been taken over by demonic forces.
Tylee and JJ were last seen alive in September 2019, shortly after the family moved to Rexburg, Idaho. Concerned relatives and friends began raising alarms after weeks went by with no word from the children. When police attempted welfare checks, Lori and Chad repeatedly lied about the children’s whereabouts, claiming they were safe and staying with relatives.
After months of growing suspicion and a nationwide search, investigators made a horrifying discovery in June 2020. The remains of Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow were found buried in shallow graves on Chad Daybell’s property in Rexburg.
JJ’s body had been wrapped in plastic and bound with tape, while Tylee’s remains were found burned and dismembered. The discovery sent shockwaves across the country and confirmed fears that the couple’s apocalyptic obsession had turned deadly.
During the trial, prosecutors described the couple’s teachings as a mix of religious extremism and personal delusion. Chad Daybell often referred to people as either “light” or “dark” and convinced Lori that her children had turned dark and needed to die.
Witnesses testified that Lori believed she was an eternal being with connections to higher spiritual powers. She frequently claimed to receive instructions from God and insisted she had communicated directly with Jesus Christ.
Her delusions deepened after she met Chad Daybell, who fed into her beliefs. He described himself as a prophet chosen to lead the righteous after the prophesied end of the world. Together, they formed a small following of believers who were convinced the apocalypse was imminent.
After years of investigation, Lori Vallow Daybell was finally brought to trial. In May 2023, she was found guilty of multiple charges, including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and grand theft for continuing to collect her children’s social security benefits after their deaths.
In July 2023, she was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Her husband, Chad Daybell, faced a separate trial. On May 30, 2024, he was found guilty on all charges, including the murders of Tylee, JJ, and his former wife Tammy Daybell, who died under suspicious circumstances in 2019. Chad was sentenced to death on June 1, 2024.
During her sentencing hearing, Lori shocked the courtroom when she delivered a bizarre speech. She claimed that she had visited heaven, spoken with Jesus, and that her children were happy and busy in the spirit world.
She said, “Because of my communications with Jesus Christ, I know for a fact that my children are happy and busy in the spirit world.”
Her statements sparked outrage from victims’ families and the public, who viewed them as a final act of manipulation and denial.
Lori’s surviving son, Colby Ryan, who was not living with the family at the time of the murders, has spoken openly about his mother’s crimes. He described her as delusional and twisted, saying she continues to justify her actions by hiding behind religion.
In 2025, Colby appeared at CrimeCon in Denver, Colorado, where journalist Nate Eaton informed him that Lori had sent a message from prison saying, “I love you very much, no matter what,” and referenced a Bible verse from Matthew 25.
Colby interpreted the message as another attempt by his mother to present herself as righteous. He said, “It is her way of trying to say she is still good and godly,” making clear that he has no desire to speak with her again.
After her Idaho conviction, Lori was extradited to Arizona, where she faces additional charges of conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of her former husband Charles Vallow and her niece’s ex-husband Brandon Boudreaux. Prosecutors allege that Lori plotted both killings as part of her and Chad’s delusional quest to eliminate those they believed were dark spirits.
The Lori Vallow Daybell case has been described as one of the most shocking criminal cases in modern United States history. It exposed how apocalyptic and cult-like ideologies can twist reality, destroy families, and lead to horrific violence.
Authorities, mental health experts, and religious scholars continue to analyze how a seemingly normal suburban mother became consumed by dangerous beliefs that led her to kill her own children.
Lori Vallow Daybell remains behind bars in Idaho, serving her life sentence, while Chad Daybell awaits his death sentence on death row.
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