Netflix is showing no sign of slowing down with its true crime content. The latest true-crime series to drop on the streaming platform is Sins of Our Mother and it comes from Skye Borgman, the director of Abducted in Plain Sight and The Girl in the Picture.
The three-part series explores the true story surrounding the killings of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow, who disappeared in September 2019 and were found dead in June 2020.
Their mother, Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Guy Daybell were charged with the first-degree murders of Tylee Ryan, 16, J.J. Vallow, 7, and Chad's wife, Tammy Daybell, 49, on May 25, 2021.
Sins of Our Mother explores who Lori Vallow Daybell was, her background, and the tragic events that to her initial arrest on February 20, 2020.
Newsweek has everything you need to know about Lori Vallow Daybell and where she is now.
Who Is Lori Vallow Daybell?
Born in 1973, Lori Vallow Daybell has also been known under the names Lori Norene Cox, Lori Ryan Daybell, and Lori Norene Lagioia, to name a few.
In her 20s, Lori Vallow became a mother to three children. Her first son Colby, who she had with her second husband William Lagioia, appears throughout Sins of our Mother, sharing his experiences of Lori as a mother and what happened to her.
Lori and William Lagioia divorced on February 25, 1998.
Lori Vallow Daybell then married Joseph Anthony Ryan Jr, who legally adopted her son Colby. Together they had a daughter, Tylee Ryan, who was born in 2002. Their divorce was finalized in May 2005.
Her fourth marriage was to Charles Vallow in February 2006. Charles Vallow had two sons from his previous marriage and together, they adopted Charles Vallow's grandnephew, Joshua Jaxon "J.J." Vallow, and raised their families together.
Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell
As seen in Episode 1 of Sins of Our Mother, Lori Vallow Daybell (known as Lori Vallow at the time) was a devout follower of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).
In 2018, she crossed paths with LDS follower and "doomsday" author Chad Daybell. He has written more than 25 books about the end of the world and near-death experience accounts. Lori Vallow's friend Melanie Gibb had introduced them at a "Preparing a People" event.
As seen in Sins of Our Mother, Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow became close after their meeting.
In February 2019, Charles Vallow, Lori Vallow's husband, filed for divorce.
According to Charles Vallow, Lori Vallow had threatened to murder him if he disrupted her "preparations for Christ's second coming." She had allegedly also taken money out of their joint bank account and sold his truck. He then filed an order of protection against Lori Vallow, fearing for his life.
According to reports, Charles Vallow tried to bring Lori Vallow Daybell in for a 72-hour evaluation in January 2019 but was unsuccessful.
Charles Vallow died on July 11, 2019, aged 62. He was shot and killed by Lori Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, who claimed self-defense. Alex Cox has never been charged in relation to Charles Vallow's death.
In September 2021, Vallow's death was ruled a homicide. Alex Cox died in December 2019 of natural causes. Lori Vallow Daybell later faced charges of conspiracy to kill Charles Vallow with her husband, Chad Daybell.
Lori Vallow Daybell's Arrest
On February 20, 2020, Lori Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii, and charged with two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of her dependent children.
Her son, J.J. Vallow, had last been seen at Rexburg, Idaho's Kennedy Elementary School in September 2019. Lori Vallow had contacted the school to tell them he would be homeschooled for the foreseeable future.
J.J's sister, Tylee Ryan was last seen on September 8, 2019, at Yellowstone National Park with J.J., Lori Vallow Daybell, and her uncle Alex Cox.
On November 26, 2019, when Rexburg Police conducted a well-being check on J.J, Lori Vallow Daybell claimed he was with family friends in Arizona and Tylee Ryan was at Brigham Young University-Idaho. However, this was not the case.
On November 27, 2019, Chad and Lordi Daybell were seen leaving Rexburg and disappeared, eventually being found in Hawaii in January 2020.
Following Lorri Vallow Daybell's arrest in February 2020, she was extradited to Idaho on March 5, 2020.
Two months later, on June 9, 2020, police searched Chad Daybell's home in Rexburg, Idaho, where the remains of J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan were uncovered.
Chad Daybell was arrested on charges of destruction or concealment of evidence. These charges were later dropped.
Over a year later, on May 25, 2021, Lori and Chad Daybell were charged with the first-degree murder of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow. They were also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
The charges of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children were dropped against Lori Vallow Daybell alongside obstruction or concealment of evidence charges on July 29, 2021.
They were also charged with the murder of Tammy Daywell, Chad's wife. She died on October 2019 in her sleep from what was initially recorded as "natural causes". At the time of her death, no post-mortem or autopsy was carried out.
However, when police learned Chad and Lori wed two weeks after Tammy's death, they exhumed Tammy's body and carried out an autopsy. The autopsy results have not yet been made public.
Lori Vallow Daybell was also charged with grand theft and Chad Daywell was charged with insurance fraud.
At the time of their arrest, Lori and Chad Daybell have pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against them.
Where is Lori Vallow Daybell Now?
Lori Vallow Daybell is currently awaiting trial in Idaho for murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Her trial date is set for January 9, 2023.
Her trial was originally scheduled to begin in October 2022 and end in December 2022.
On May 27, 2021, and again in August and September 2021, she was deemed incompetent and unfit to stand trial and as a result, there was a stay on her case.
In April 2022, Judge Boyce ruled Lori Vallow Daybell is competent to stand trial. She was then released from the mental health facility and returned to prison.
In May 2022, the prosecution announced they will seek the death penalty for Lori Vallow Daybell.
She appeared in court for a procedural hearing in August 2022 where she refused to enter a plea on the murder charges. As a result, the judge entered a "not guilty" plea. Chad Daybell has pleaded not guilty.
Sins of Our Mother is streaming on Netflix starting on Wednesday, September 14.
About the writer
Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on ... Read more
