BOISE, Idaho — U.S. authorities are asking Yellowstone National Park tourists to review their vacation photos to see if they can spot any clues about two missing children whose mother has been brought back to Idaho to face charges.
Lori Vallow was arrested in Hawaii last month and charged with felony child abandonment. Her 7-year-old son, Joshua “JJ” Vallow, was last seen Sept. 23 and his big sister, 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, was last seen Sept. 8 — the same day the family went on a day trip through the popular park.
Police in the small town of Rexburg, Idaho, where the children were last known to be living, have said they “strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee’s lives are in danger.” They also say Vallow, 46, and her husband, Chad Daybell, have repeatedly lied about the children’s whereabouts.
The bizarre case spans several states, includes investigations into three mysterious deaths and touches on rumors of Vallow’s and Daybell’s apocalyptic religious beliefs.
Vallow’s estranged husband, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed by her brother Alex Cox in Phoenix in July. Cox, who said the shooting was in self-defense, died of unknown causes in December.
In August, Vallow moved from Arizona to Idaho, where Daybell lived with his wife, Tammy Daybell. She died in October. Her obituary said the death was from natural causes, but law enforcement became suspicious when Chad Daybell married Vallow just two weeks after Tammy’s death.
Tammy Daybell’s remains have been exhumed, but the autopsy report has not yet been released. Toxicology results on Cox also are not public yet.
Law enforcement escorted Vallow back to Idaho on Thursday and she’s due in court today. Vallow’s attorneys, Brian Webb and Edwina Elcox of Eagle, could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Rexburg Police Department and the FBI are asking anyone who visited Yellowstone on Sept. 8 to share any photos or videos of their trip with law enforcement.
Investigators are particularly looking for anything that may show Vallow, her brother, Cox, the children or a silver 2017 Ford F-150 pickup with Arizona license plate CPQUINT, which the group was driving in Yellowstone, according to an FBI statement.
