Bodycam shows Gilbert Police interview Lori Vallow after husband tried to get her mentally evaluated
GILBERT, Ariz. - FOX 10 has obtained new bodycam footage of Lori Vallow from Gilbert Police.
Vallow's children, Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan, were last seen in September 2019. The disappearances have uncovered a complicated sequence of events related to Vallow and Daybell, including details surrounding the death of Vallow's former husband, Charles Vallow, details surrounding the death and subsequent burial of Daybell's former wife, Tammy, and allegations of cult membership. The disappearances have also garnered national and global media attention.
In late January, Idaho authorities filed a child protection action on behalf of JJ and Tylee, and a court ordered Vallow to physically produce the two children to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare in Rexburg within five days of being served with the order. Vallow, ultimately, failed to obey the court order.
Vallow was arrested on February 20, and was later extradited to Idaho from Hawaii. She has appeared in an Idaho court, where she is accused of child abandonment, resisting/obstructing an officer, solicitation to commit crime and contempt of court.
Bodycam video taken in January 2019
The incident featured in the bodycam video took place more than a year ago, and the video also shows Tylee. At the time, the issue was over a purse allegedly stolen by Vallow’s former husband. Vallow's former husband, Charles Vallow, died in July 2019.
Prior to Charles' death, he petitioned for Vallow to have her mental health evaluated as an involuntary hold.
The video was taken on the afternoon of January 31, 2019. Vallow was walking into the Gilbert Police Department with Tylee. Vallow's friend, Melanie Gibb, was also present.
Gibb is the same friend who told detectives that Lori asked her to lie about where JJ was in late November, according to Rexburg, Idaho police officials.
Officers had responded to a harassment call, and Vallow told officers that Charles stole her purse and phone from her car, while she dropped JJ off at school.
Vallow then expands on alleged marital issues.
"This time, I caught him cheating and I had evidence and I told him about it, and he travels a lot for business, so I told him about it and told him not to come home and that his stuff would be gone and that his car would be gone. He was a little mad," said Vallow.
The interview happened just days before Charles filed for divorce, accusing Vallow of draining their bank account of $35,000.
"He's mad because I took the money out of our account, but it’s a joint account so he wants me to give him money," said Vallow,
The police report says Charles told officers that Vallow changed the locks to their home, so he forced his way in earlier that morning to learn his wife moved out with their kids.
Gabe Bonilla, a friend of Charles, was a witness to the petition, He spoke with police.
"[Lori] has been getting into some really religious things that troubled him," said Gabe Bonilla, a friend of Charles, to police officers. "The relationship was a bit odd."
Bonillla also told a sergeant that he listened into Charles and Lori's last argument over the phone.
“She said I will destroy you, but it was done in a very subjective way that it couldn’t have -- it didn't necessarily come across as a direct threat to him or the children or herself," said Bonila.
The report also reveals police tried to pick Vallow up for an emergency mental health petition filed by Charles, but couldn't find her.
"He was asking, like, what’s got into her, like, where is she? Of course I didn’t say, I didn’t know where she was," said Gibb.
Tylee, meanwhile, said Charles had texted her the night before.
"Sent me a strange link to a website about our church," said Tylee, in the video.
Some of the audio was redacted, but Tylee said her stepfather sent her a link on the church, and said he had "no choice."
"Didn’t file a police report or anything, as far as we know, so I’m just assuming he was trying to get a response, and then, I love you,” Tylee said at the time.
Vallow, Tylee and Melanie leave eventually leave and officers call Charles, telling him he could be charged with theft. The next day, Gilbert Police confirmed Vallow did voluntarily check herself in for a mental health evaluation, and was discharged a few hours later.