Family members have confirmed that remains found on the property of Lori Vallow’s husband Chad Daybell were identified as her seven-year-old son, Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow, and 17-year-old daughter, Tylee Ryan.
JJ’s grandmother, Kay Woodcock, made the heartbreaking confirmation today, hours after the remains were discovered buried in the backyard of the home in Salem, Idaho.
The announcement came as Daybell appeared in court to face two felony charges for destruction or concealment of evidence on today.
His bail was set at $1 million.
According to a charging document, Daybell ‘willfully’ concealed or helped another person conceal the bodies, knowing that they were about to be submitted as evidence in a criminal investigation.
Each of the counts corresponds with the date that either child was last seen.
The first count ranges from September 8, 2019 – the day Tylee disappeared – to June 9, 2020. The second count ranges from September 22, 2019 – the day before JJ disappeared – to June 9, 2020.
Vallow has spent the past four months behind bars on charges of abandonment and desertion in connection with the children’s disappearance.
It is unclear whether prosecutors are preparing to file additional charges against her following the recovery of the bodies.
Idaho law enforcement officials and FBI agents leading the investigation have faced criticism over how long it’s taken to discover what happened to the children in the seven months since they were first reported missing.
That criticism was heightened with the revelation that the kids were buried in such an obvious location, which had been previously searched in January.
Family members have confirmed that remains found on the property of Lori Vallow’s husband Chad Daybell were identified as her seven-year-old son, Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow, and 17-year-old daughter, Tylee Ryan
Daybell made the court appearance via a Zoom call from the Fremont County Jail.
He was joined by his attorney John Prior while Judge Farren Eddins and Prosecutor Rob Wood called in from their respective offices.
Dressed in a gray striped jail jumpsuit, Daybell acknowledged the charges against him in a quiet, low voice.
Prior requested to have bail set at $100,000, arguing that his client had no intention of leaving town.
But Judge Eddins ultimately set it much higher at $1 million, given the seriousness of the case and the fact that Daybell previously fled from Idaho after police first began asking questions about the children back in November.
Daybell would have to post 10 percent of that bail – or $100,000 – to be released.
Should he manage to do that he will be required to wear an ankle monitor, will be forced to remain within a boundary of four nearby counties, and cannot have contact with the victims’ families.
Vallow and Daybell – the prolific Doomsday author, alleged cut leader and former grave digger whom she married less than two months after her kids vanished – had repeatedly refused to say where the children were but insisted that they were safe.
The last known sighting of 17-year-old Tylee was on September 8, when she visited Yellowstone National Park with her family. JJ, who would have turned eight last month, was last seen two weeks later on September 23.
Daybell, 51, is facing two felony charges in the disappearance of his wife Lori’s children. Vallow is currently behind bars on charges of neglect and desertion related to her children’s disappearance
While some relatives believed that Vallow would never hurt her kids, others have long feared that they could be dead.
In a statement after the remains were identified, JJ and Tylee’s families wrote: ‘The Woodcock’s and The Ryan’s are confirming that the human remains found by Law enforcement on Chad Daybell’s property are indeed our beloved JJ and Tylee.
‘We are filled with unfathomable sadness that these two bright stars were stolen from us, and only hope that they died without pain or suffering.’
The families added that police will be issuing a statement with an official confirmation soon.
The couple are also being investigated for conspiracy, attempted murder and murder in the death of Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell, who mysteriously died at the Salem home in October.
