Cult mother Lori Vallow’s murdered son JJ will finally get a funeral – with his heartbroken grandparents saying they hope his sister can also be laid to rest soon after the ‘long, arduous’ double murder trial.
A district judge in Idaho confirmed yesterday that the body of seven-year-old Joshua will be released to his relatives after he was found dead in June 2020.
His mother Lori was sentenced to life in prison in July for the murders of JJ and his 16-year-old sister Tylee.
The State of Idaho has had custody of JJ’s body since the gruesome discovery and throughout the investigation, but his remains will now be returned to his family.
Tylee Ryan’s body remains in state custody.
A district judge in Idaho confirmed yesterday that the body of seven-year-old Joshua ‘JJ’ will be released to his relatives after he was found dead in June 2020.
Cult mother Lori Vallow’s murdered son JJ will finally get a funeral – while his heartbroken grandparents say they hope his sister can also be laid to rest after a ‘long, arduous’ double murder case. The killer is due to appear in court in May 2023
JJ’s grandparents, Larry and Kay Woodcocks, said in a statement: “The past few years have been filled with pain and sadness as we have traveled this long, difficult road.
“We have waited and prayed for this day for so long and are relieved beyond measure that JJ will finally be laid to rest.
“We have spent the past few days immersed in the memories of the love and happiness that JJ radiated and continues to shine in our lives.
“As we reminisce about the joy that JJ filled our lives with, our hearts ache for those who love JJ and share in the immense sadness and loss of such a beautiful little man.
“We are grateful for the love and support from everyone who has grown to love JJ, Tylee and Charles. As we continue to fight for justice, the dedication and strength given have helped us get through it.
‘We would like to know when Tylee can also be laid to rest. Our greatest wishes are that JJ and Tylee are celebrated for the joy and love they brought to this world and that they can finally rest in peace. Only then will our hearts begin to heal.”
The children’s grandparents said, “Our greatest wishes are that JJ and Tylee are celebrated for the joy and love they brought to this world and that they can finally rest in peace. Only then will our hearts begin to heal.”
Lori Vallow, 50, was convicted of murdering her two youngest children and conspiring to kill Chad Daybell’s ex-wife, Tammy Daybell
Last summer, Lori Vallow, 50, was convicted of murdering her two youngest children and conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s ex-wife, Tammy Daybell.
She has since appealed her conviction, but she also faces two other cases in Arizona: one on charges of conspiring with her brother to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and one of conspiring to kill the ex-husband of killing her niece.
Charles Vallow was shot dead in 2019, but her niece’s ex survived an attempt later that year.
The case began in July 2019, when Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, in a suburban Phoenix home.
Cox told police he acted in self-defense.
He was never charged in the case and died later that year from what authorities determined were natural causes.
At the time, Vallow was already dating Chad Daybell, a self-published author who wrote doomsday-oriented fiction loosely based on Mormon teachings.
She moved to Idaho with her children and brother to be closer to him.
The boy’s body was in state custody during the murder investigation
Siblings Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan. Their bodies were found in 2020
The young children were last seen alive in September 2019. Police discovered they were missing a month later after an extended family member became concerned.
Their bodies were found buried in Chad Daybell’s yard the following summer.
Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow married in November 2019, about two weeks after Daybell’s previous wife, Tammy, was murdered.
Tammy Daybell was initially said to have died of natural causes, but an autopsy later showed she had been asphyxiated, authorities said.
Defense attorney Jim Archibald argued at trial that there was no evidence linking Vallow to the murders, but there was sufficient evidence that she was a loving, protective mother whose life took a sharp turn when she met and fell for Chad Daybell his ‘weird’ apocalyptic religious claims.
Archibald suggested that Daybell and Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, was responsible for the deaths.
Lori Vallow Daybell, left, looks at the camera during one of her hearings. Last summer she was sentenced to life in prison
Daybell told her they were married in several past lives and that she was a “sexual goddess” who had to help him save the world by gathering 144,000 followers so Jesus could return, Archibald said.
Vallow’s former girlfriend Melanie Gibb testified at the trial that Vallow believed people in her life had been taken over by evil spirits and turned into “zombies,” including JJ and Tylee.
The family and the case were featured in the popular Netflix TV documentary “Sins of our Mother.”
The Netflix series, which features her surviving child Colby Ryan, 26, reveals the details behind the murders, and Lori’s beliefs that convinced her there was a “dark spirit” within her daughter, and that the only way to ‘to free the spirit is to kill the people’. body.’
Chad Daybell, husband of Lori Vallow, was in court earlier this month ahead of his own death penalty trial.
Daybell’s trial is expected to begin next year and last about two months.