Idaho AG's Office taking over probe into death of Chad Daybell's 1st wife

PHOENIX - FOX 10 has confirmed that the Idaho Attorney General's Office is taking over a case connected to the mother of two missing kids with ties to Arizona.

Lori Vallow and her new husband, Chad Daybell, will be investigated for conspiracy and attempted murder.

Lori'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 Lori and Daybell, including details surrounding the death of Lori's former husband, Charles Vallow, details surrounding the death and subsequent burial of Chad's former wife, Tammy, and allegations of cult membership.

Joshua Vallow (left) and Tylee Ryan (right) (Photo Courtesy: Rexberg, Idaho Police Department)

Tammy died on October 19, and was buried soon afterwards. Chad and Lori got married a little more than two weeks after Tammy’s death.

At the time Tammy died, her death was determined to be of natural cause. However, Tammy was exhumed on December 11. The autopsy and toxicology reports have still not been released.

"The reality is here now for those two," said Larry Woodcock, JJ's grandfather.

Larry, along with Kay Woodcock, are hopeful investigators are combing through any case connected to Lori.

"The case is moving forward and it’s not stagnant. I never thought it was, but I know there are numerous people working on it daily," said Kay.

According to a letter obtained by East Idaho News, the Idaho Attorney General's Office will assume full responsibility for the case regarding Tammy's death. The request for help was made Tuesday, and was accepted Thursday.

Meanwhile, Chandler Police is investigating the death of Lori's ex-husband, Charles Vallow. Police officials say Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed him in self-defense in July 2019.

Kay says Charles, who is her brother, knew about Lori’s relationship with Chad since January 2019.

"Charles showed me several things from his email that indicated that they were having an affair," said Kay.

Currently, Lori is in an Idaho jail, accused of child abandonment and other offenses. A hearing is set for April 17, as her attorney tries to reduce her $1 million bail amount.

"I hope it’s left alone, the judge sees through this and does not reduce her bail. I think this is exactly the time not to be reducing bail," said Larry.

FOX 10 has reached out to a spokesperson with the Idaho Attorney General's Office for comment, but the spokesperson has yet to respond.

Meanwhile, a family member of Tammy, who wants to remain anonymous, told FOX 10's Justin Lum that news of the Attorney General's Office taking over the case is great news, and hopes for a resolution.