Austin PD report: Lori Vallow's 3rd husband feared she would kill him, her daughter, or herself
Joseph Ryan with daughter Tylee Ryan (File photo, courtesy of Austine Murphy)
PHOENIX - FOX 10 has obtained a 53-page incident report detailing the assault on Joseph Ryan.
Ryan is the ex-husband of Lori Vallow – both biological parents to Tylee Ryan who was found dead along with her younger brother JJ Vallow in Idaho back in June 2020. Vallow and her children lived in Chandler before moving to Rexburg, Idaho in the fall of 2019.
The Austin Police Department's report stems back to August 5, 2007 when investigators say Alex Cox, Vallow’s late brother used a Taser on her ex Joseph Ryan. It happened after a supervised visit with Ryan’s daughter Tylee who he had not seen in about a year. The report states Cox waited for Ryan outside in the parking lot. When Ryan went to his car, Cox said "we need to talk" according to police. Initially, Ryan did not recognize him and asked who he was. Cox responded by saying "you know who I am."
Ryan asked a woman nearby to be a witness before Cox said "this is for my nephew." The police report states, "Immediately after that, Cox said, 'You know what you did,' and pulled a Taser from his pocket stating, 'this is for my nephew,' and then tased him in the back."
Ryan tried to run before police say Cox stunned him again, knocking him down.
In the report, Ryan remembers rolling to the left to get up and run, saying Cox told him "I am going to kill you," from behind. When another man came out to witness what happened, Ryan yelled for him to call 911. Cox "started calmly walking away" when he saw the second witness and got into a silver Pontiac Grand Prix, leaving the area according to police.
Ryan mentioned his ex-wife Lori Vallow to APD. He said they had been divorced since 2005 and he was "afraid of what they may do to his house or to him again."
Ryan also told police the "entire family had been causing him problems." According to Ryan, his ex-wife would rather have death for him than another visit with their daughter Tylee. Ryan believed that could mean anything, "killing herself and her daughter or him," he said in his statement.
Chad Daybell, top left; Lori Vallow, top right; JJ Vallow, bottom left; Tylee Ryan, bottom right.
The next month, police say Ryan learned from his daughter Tylee that she watched him fall to the ground after the attack, indicating her mother Lori Vallow was there as well. According to his statement, Ryan noticed his garage door made a loud snap as if something was caught in the track as he left to visit Tylee. He then noticed a silver car three houses down and passed the driver who appeared to pull his ball cap down to shield his face. Ryan said he turned around to ask his neighbor to watch his home while he was gone.
After the attack, Ryan believed Cox tried to interfere with his visit so that the court order would be violated and Vallow could file a motion to suspend visitation.
Two witnesses later identified Cox in photo lineups and provided detailed statements to Austin PD. By January 2008, Alex Cox was indicted for aggravated assault in Travis County. He later pleaded guilty and served three months in jail.
Lori Vallow later moved to Arizona with her husband Charles, taking Tylee with her. Ryan also moved there to be closer to her, but in April 2018, he was found dead in his Phoenix apartment. His death has been ruled natural despite a second review of the case by Phoenix Police reported by FOX 10 in November 2020. The review came after an alleged recording of Vallow surfaced of her saying she was going to murder her third husband Ryan.
Vallow’s fourth husband Charles was shot and killed by Alex Cox in July 2019 at their Chandler home. Cox claimed he shot his brother in law in self-defense after a fight. Chandler PD is still investigating the case and plans to submit a charge of conspiracy to commit murder against Lori Vallow, previously reported by FOX 10.
Cox died in December of 2019 in his wife’s Gilbert home. The medical examiner ruled his death natural and GPD recently closed the investigation.
Vallow and her current husband, Chad Daybell, are in Idaho jails, accused of conspiracy to conceal or destroy evidence linked to the deaths of JJ and Tylee. The children’s remains were found buried in Daybell’s backyard after local authorities in Idaho assisted by the FBI searched for the siblings for several months.
Vallow and Daybell refused to tell investigators the whereabouts of 7-year-old JJ and 16-year-old Tylee as the couple spent months vacationing in Kauai.
Vallow and Daybell married on November 5, 2019 merely weeks after Daybell’s first wife Tammy died, initially ruled natural. Her body was exhumed by authorities in December 2019.
The Idaho Attorney General’s Office is investigating Vallow and Daybell for conspiracy, murder and/or attempted murder. No murder charges have been filed yet against the Vallow and Daybell in connection to the deaths of JJ and Tylee.
MORE: Austin PD's full report: