November 2019
Nov 2019 – The Jeep involved in the shooting attempt on BB is located in Rexburg and seized with a search warrant from Gilbert PD. It is identified as a grey Jeep Wrangler with TX plates and as the vehicle that Tylee regularly drove and was registered to the late CV. (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc).
1 Nov 2019 – A Gilbert PD detective begins intermittent surveillance of Lori while investigating the attempted murder/drive-by shooting at BB that took place Oct 2 in Gilbert, AZ. That detective reports that he never once saw JJ nor Tylee in the month of Nov. (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc).
2 Nov 2019, 1:24 am – Melani posts to her facebook that she is offering a $10,000 reward for information about her husband and children’s whereabouts (Adam Herbets, Fox13 SLC)
3 Nov 2019 – Melani continues to look for her children before leaving for Rexburg. RR followed Melani and AC using a GPS tracker on their vehicle as they went to friends' houses looking for the kids on the day before they left for Idaho. "It was clear to us that she was aggressively trying to find the kids, even though she left all the kids' stuff on the curb… And she was traveling with Alex Cox, so that increased the anxiety for Brandon and his kids," Said RR (Inside Edition).
4 Nov 2019 - Melani and AC arrive in Rexburg, ID (Inside Edition).
5 Nov 2019 – Only a couple weeks after Tammy’s death, Chad Daybell is married to Lori Vallow in a beach ceremony in Kauai, Hawaii. A photographer takes more than 600 photos in 45 minutes of the ceremony taking place without any family present. JJ & Tylee are also not at the wedding. “An officiant lead the ceremony as flower petals shaped in a heart surrounded the husband and wife, later Chad is seen playing a ukulele as Lori smiles, hula dancing.” (Fox10 Phoenix; Rexburg PD Dec 20, 2019 Press Release).
Rexburg Police Department
After 5 Nov 2019 – Chad informed family members he had remarried. Chad told Tammy’s family members that he would never visit them in Utah. Chad told family he was in Hawaii and told his parents they were free to visit him. No one knew Chad planned to remarry and family members were in disbelief that he would remarry 2 weeks after Tammy's death (WS Verified Insider).
After 5 Nov 2019 - After Lori & Chad married, Lori tells family members that Tylee died in 2017, a year before Tylee’s dad JR died in 2018, and Chad tells family members that Lori has no minor children. Both statements are untrue. Rexburg PD released this info in Dec 30, 2019 press release; (Rexburg Journal). Chad tells his parents in Springville, UT that Lori was an “empty-nester.” Chad tells his sister-in-law (Tammy’s sister) Lori has no juvenile children. (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News).
After 5 Nov 2019 – A few weeks after Tammy’s death, a family friend talks to Chad’s son: “We were talking about how his family is doing and he told me his dad remarried…I thought it was a joke because he kind of laughed about it afterward. I laughed and he said, ‘No, I’m serious. My dad went to Hawaii on a business trip and met a widow and they just got married.'” The friend didn’t know how to respond and says the Daybell children seemed unhappy their dad remarried already. The friend also recalls, “I’ll never forget he said, ‘My dad’s not a bad guy – he’s just done some bad things.'” (East Idaho News).
7 Nov 2019 – Newlyweds Lori and Chad show up at a house with a room for rent on the island of Kauai. “They said that they waited all day for God to tell them which house to go to and he told them to come to mine,” said the homeowner JM. JM says “they were like 2 teenagers that had just been set free. They were just giddy.” Chad fills out a rental application stating his monthly income is $30,000 as author and owner of Spring Creek Book Company. He gives a move in date of Nov 9th and lists “Lori Daybell, my wife” as his emergency contact. (Fox10 Phoenix).
8 Nov 2019 – Chad sends an email to JB, Owner of Kauai Dreams Realty: "We are interested in seeing this property. Would the owners be interested in leasing this property to a clean couple with no pets or children?" (Fox10 Phoenix)
12 Nov 2019 – A few days after Chad’s Nov 7th rental application the homeowner JM reads Tammy Daybell’s obituary and feels like something was wrong with how happy Lori and Chad were acting when they visited her house to view the room for rent. JM sent a text to Chad asking about Tammy’s death. Chad texted back:
“Hi J****, yes, Tammy’s passing was such a shock. I woke up that morning and she had clearly been dead for a couple of hours, but she had such a peaceful look on her face. At her burial I felt her tell me she was happy and already busy helping our family on the other side of the veil. I felt she helped me reconnect with Lori so quickly, and it has actually helped my children move forward.”
JM sent a reply text:
“Oh wow. Did the Coroner say what was the cause? So you and Lori knew each other already?”
Chad changed his mind about renting from JM (Fox10 Phoenix).
Approx Nov 2019 - Chad is released from his calling as Executive Secretary to the Bishop in his LDS church ward in Idaho. The Bishop announced from the pulpit that if anyone needed to schedule a meeting, to do so with another brother of the ward (WS Verified Insider).
12 Nov 2019, around 6 pm - LE documents say Lori’s niece, Melani (MB), trespassed onto the property of her in-laws in American Fork, UT
. MB came to look for her husband BB and their kids. BB's parents took all the kids upstairs and BB told MB she could not be there. A LEO called MB on the phone and she claimed BB kidnapped her kids and she hadn’t seen them in over a month. The LEO told MB she could face criminal charges for trespassing if she returned (Fox10 Phoenix).
14 Nov 2019 – Lori’s brother Alex Cox drives their niece Melani (MB) back to BB’s parents’ home in a 2020 Kia Telluride. BB’s family calls 911 to report MB is there again, ringing the doorbell, banging on the door and yelling and she was seen going into the garage. BB’s father yells “Get out of my house! The police are on their way! Get away from my door! Now!” then he tells the 911 operator “Somebody tried to kill my son three weeks ago, and we believe that she’s involved in it.” Police say they found MB coming out of the garage when they arrived on the scene. BB's family say MB brought a court order saying she could take the children. At this time, BB was in AZ. Police cited her for criminal trespassing and told her to leave the property or she would be taken into custody. Police later found cause for a domestic violence enhancement and determined MB should be arrested. MB turned herself into AFPD and was booked into Utah County Jail for the misdemeanor. She was released on $2500 bail the same day. Alex posted $1950 for MB’s bail (Arizona Republic, Utah County Sheriff's Office Booking records, Fox10 Phoenix).
Mid Nov 2019 – Chad and Lori return to Rexburg after their Kauai honeymoon and live together in the townhouse Lori rented in Sept 2019 (Dateline).
Mid Nov 2019 – JJ’s grandparents didn’t know about Lori’s new husband nor did they know that Lori had moved to Rexburg, ID. KW is still worried about JJ and has trouble sleeping; With no contact from Lori nor JJ in months, KW decides to look at CV’s email account. KW knows her brother’s frequently used passwords and guesses correctly the first time. Once logged in she sees a recent email from Amazon showing an order has been shipped to an address in Rexburg, ID. KW realizes that is Lori’s new address. As soon as the sun comes up, KW calls a detective in AZ to tell him where to find Lori. KW requests a welfare check of JJ at the Rexburg address. However, it was about 2 weeks before Rexburg PD is able to make contact with someone at the address to conduct the welfare check (Dateline).
Abt 19 Nov 2019 –
About a week before conducting a welfare check on JJ and Tylee, a police officer came to SB’s door asking questions about Lori and her children. SB is the neighbor who had helped Lori move into her Rexburg townhouse with the children in Sept 2019 (Fox 13 Salt Lake City).
21 Nov 2019 - Lori’s account or electronic device is logged into a classroom communication app from JJ’s former school, LIFE Academy in AZ, and Lori’s user account is shown as having viewed a post made by the school (Fox10 Phoenix).
24 Nov 2019, 1:16-1:20 pm – Lori and a man (believed to be Chad) are seen on CCTV in a car visiting Lori’s Rexburg storage unit for about 4 minutes; they remove items and also place items into the unit. This is the last visit to the storage unit by Lori and/or any of the men associated with Lori (East Idaho News, Dateline).
25 Nov 2019 – Rexburg PD is contacted by Gilbert PD after JJ’s grandparents, KW & LW, requested a welfare check (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News)
26 Nov 2019 - Rexburg PD attempt to conduct a welfare check on JJ, the adopted 7- year-old special needs son of Lori Vallow, at their residence at 565 Pioneer Road in Rexburg, ID (Dateline; Rexburg Press Release From Dec 20, 2019).
26 Nov 2019 - RPD first talk to Alex and Chad outside Lori’s apt. “Chad acted as if he didn’t know Lori very well and stated he didn’t know her phone number,” the probable cause doc states. “Alex told the detectives that [JJ] was with his grandma, KW, in Louisiana, which was not likely to be true due to the fact that KW was the individual who first called in a missing child report to the Gilbert PD.” Alex tells RPD Lori might be in Apt 107, but when RPD checks Apt 107 they find the unit is empty and vacant (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News).
26 Nov 2019 – After talking to RPD Chad tries to drive away but a detective stops him. Chad then says the last time he had seen JJ was in Apt 107 in October. He also admits that he knows Lori’s phone number and provides it (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News).
26 Nov 2019 - RPD finds Lori in her apt; She tells them JJ is with her friend Melanie Gibb (MG) in Gilbert, AZ. LE calls MG but cannot reach her on the phone. LE talk to Lori again, and she says MG and JJ are at “Frozen 2.” LE tells Lori to tell MG to call them. An affidavit filed Feb 18, 2020 says this statement Lori made about JJ being with MG “delayed the investigation into the whereabouts and safety of JJ by requiring us to take time to investigate a lead that was verified as false.” (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News)
26 Nov 2019 – After RPD leave, Lori and Chad each contact their friend MG separately; Both Lori and Chad ask MG to tell police that she has JJ even though JJ is not with her. MG says she declined the requests of Chad and Lori and she did not lie to the police on their behalf (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News)
26 Nov 2019, about 9:30 pm - Rexburg PD have not heard from MG so they call Gilbert PD. LE in Arizona go to MG’s home but she is not there. GPD reaches MG by phone; She tells them JJ has not been there for several months. (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News)
26 Nov 2019 –
2 nights before Thanksgiving Lori’s neighbor, SB, says he saw Lori and her brother Alex packing up a truck. SB thought they were traveling for the holiday. Lori left behind her belongings, and left JJ's toys on the front porch. (Fox 13 Salt Lake City).
27 Nov 2019 – 2 detectives visit Lori’s son Colby at his home in AZ to ask him if he has JJ and Tylee living with him or if he knows where they are located. This was the first time that CR was made aware that Lori had moved with the kids to Idaho. CR calls his mom to ask her what is going on and Lori says “I got it, I’ll take care of it,” and that was it. That was the last time CR talked to his mom (CR interview w/Justin Lum, Fox10 Phoenix).
27 Nov 2019 – Rexburg PD receives request to help AZ LE execute search warrants at 595 Pioneer Road in relation to the investigation into JJ’s welfare and location. Rexburg PD were authorized to collect blood, fingerprints, hair and hygiene products to collect DNA; personal items such as toys, clothing and shoes; electronic devices; school records and documents related to state assistance received on behalf of JJ as well as bank records “which may be evidence of payments received on behalf of the child as well as payments or expenses made for the child.” (East Idaho News)
27 Nov 2019; 10:13 a.m - A phone related to their investigation is pinged at the general location "right now" when dispatched. However, when LE arrive Lori and Chad have abruptly vacated the home and left town; LE has reason to believe that they did not have JJ with them when they left Rexburg. Subsequently, the local LE contacts the FBI to ask for assistance in locating JJ:
Rexburg Police Department
27 Nov 2019 – Neighbors watch as the FBI raids 3 units at 565 Pioneer Rd in Rexburg: Lori's Apt #175, Lori’s niece Melani’s Apt #174 and Lori’s brother Alex's Apt #107 in the same complex. LE breaks the front door of AC’s apt to get inside and finds there is nothing inside except for a couple of small items in the garage. Note: A neighbor stated #174 belonged to Lori’s sister, but the affidavit reveals it was Melani’s unit (Fox 13 Salt Lake City, local News 8; Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News).
27 Nov 2019 - During the search of Lori’s apt, police note that most of the clothing has been removed but some furniture remains. Police find a prescription med called Risperidone prescribed to JJ to treat irritability caused by autism; It was filled in Jan 2019 and still had 17 pills in the bottle. Police verified that the prescription has not been filled in ID (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News).
27 Nov 2019, 1:58-2:00 pm, Rexburg PD contacts the owner of Self Storage Plus in Rexburg (Dateline).
27 Nov 2019, 5:08-5:21 pm – Police serve a search warrant for Lori’s Rexburg Storage unit for “any evidence that the boy was residing at any of these residences, and/or evidence of foul play or the commission of a crime, and/or evidence of the child’s current location.” Inside the unit there were bikes, a scooter, winter clothing, blankets w/photos of the kids, a photo album, sports equipment, a backpack with JJ’s initials and a jersey w/CR’s name (East Idaho News)
27 Nov 2019 -- During the investigation into JJ’s disappearance, LE learns that Lori’s teen daughter Tylee Ryan moved with Lori to Rexburg on Sept 1 or 2 but Tylee has not been seen since early Sept. Lori said Tylee was attending classes at BYU-Idaho, but records show she was never enrolled at any BYU campus (Affidavit of Probable Cause Doc; East Idaho News).
28 Nov 2019 – Thanksgiving Day.
Approx 28 Nov - Dec 1, 2019 – Chad spends Thanksgiving weekend on vacation with his family in Southern California, traveling there via SLC airport. Photos posted to social media show Chad at the airport and later Knott’s Berry Farm, an amusement park in Buena Park, CA
. Lori wasn't in any of the photos and her location during this time is unconfirmed. The CA trip was concluded Dec 1 and photos were posted on social media Dec 2 (WS Verified Insider posts).
29 Nov 2019, 8:01 pm – Lori’s Brother, Alex Cox, marries her friend Zulema Pastenes (ZP) in Clark County, NV. They marry in an 8 minute ceremony at “A Chapel of Love” in Las Vegas. No one attends the wedding; The witness on the wedding certificate is the chapel security guard. Also on the wedding certificate, Alex requests his name be changed from Alexander Lamar Cox to Alexander Lamar Pastenes; The owner/minister at the wedding chapel remembers the wedding because of that nontraditional request, which he says has never happened before; he also recalls, “They were very cold. It was business they just wanted to get in and get out.” The wedding took place about 2 weeks before AC’s death (Clark Co Marriage Records; Fox 10 Phoenix, Post Register).
30 Nov 2019, 5:23 pm – Lori’s niece, Melani, marries Ian Pawlowski (IP) at Lucky Little Chapel in Las Vegas, Clark County, NV. Melani’s Uncle Alex (Lori’s brother) was the witness for the ceremony (Clark Co Marriage Records; Fox10 Phoenix, Post Register).
