‘Doomsday cult mom’ Lori Vallow claims new alibi in murder of her two children

Dramatic case of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell spans a deeply disturbing pattern of suspected murders, unexplained deaths of people close to the couple and bizarre cult beliefs about killing zombies

The so-called “Doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow has finally offered up an alibi for the murders of her two children, claiming she was somewhere else when they died in her brother’s apartment – and bizarrely adding that her husband and alleged co-conspirator Chad Daybell may or may not have been with her at the time.

Ms Vallow and cult leader Mr Daybell have both pleaded their innocence of all charges in a dramatic case that spans a deeply disturbing pattern of suspected murders, unexplained deaths of people close to the couple and bizarre cult beliefs about killing zombies.

The couple are both facing the death penalty for the murders of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, whose remains were found on the Daybell property in June 2020.

The couple are also charged in connection with the mysterious death of Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell.

Ms Vallow is also separately charged in Arizona with conspiring to murder her previous husband Charles Vallow, with the help of her now-deceased brother Alex Cox – who mysteriously died three months after the children’s disappearance in September 2019.

She is also charged with grand theft and insurance fraud in relation to the Social Security benefits of Tylee and JJ.

Now, for the first time, Ms Vallow has provided an alibi for her children’s murders, according to a new court filing submitted by her legal team last week.

Ms Vallow claims she was at her own apartment in Rexburg, Idaho, when the two children died in her brother’s home in the same complex, the documents state.

The documents, filed in Fremont County, Idaho, claim that two individuals, Melanie Gibb and David Warwick, were also with her in her home at the time – “and/or Chad Daybell”.

“Lori Vallow was in her own apartment in Rexburg, Idaho, when J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan died in the apartment of Alex Cox in Rexburg, Idaho,” the filing states.

“Defendant was with Melanie Gibb, David Warwick, and/or Chad Daybell.”

Lori Vallow smiles during a court hearing in August 2022 (AP)

The court filing marks the first time that Ms Vallow has said that her two children died inside Cox’s home or even admitted to knowing anything about their deaths.

No date was offered for their deaths – but prosecutors believe the two children were murdered days apart in September 2019.

In the court filing, Ms Vallow also claims that she was in Hawaii with friends Melani Boudreaux and/or Audrey Barattiero when Tammy Daybell died in October 2019 at Mr Daybell’s home in Salem, Idaho.

Attorneys for Ms Vallow are also requesting that she and Mr Daybell are allowed to meet face to face for “strategy sessions” ahead of their murder trial.

The couple, who were embroiled in a Doomsday cult, are due to stand trial in April on charges of murder, conspiracy and grand theft in connection with JJ and Tylee’s murders and the charges in connection to Tammy Daybell’s death.

JJ and Tylee were last seen alive in September 2019, just days before Tylee’s 17th birthday.

Prosecutors said that, prior to their disappearance, Ms Vallow had been telling friends her children were “zombies” and that the only way to free someone’s soul from zombies was by killing them.

One month later – in October 2019 – Mr Daybell’s then-wife Tammy Daybell died at the age of 49. At the time, her death was ruled as “natural causes”.

Chad Daybell sits during a court hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, in 2020 (Post Register)

In November 2019 – while under pressure from family members and law enforcement to reveal where the children were – Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell jetted off to Hawaii to get married on a beach.

For many more months, the couple continued to refuse to say what had happened to Tylee and JJ.

In June 2020 – nine months after their last signs of life – the children’s remains were finally discovered in a shallow grave on Mr Daybell’s property.

It was only after the case involving the missing children picked up steam that investigators grew suspicious of Tammy Daybell’s death and exhumed her body, before bringing murder charges against the couple.

The investigation into the death of Charles Vallow was also reopened.

Vallow was shot dead by Cox in July 2019 in what was at the time ruled as self-defence.

Cox claimed to investigators that Mr Vallow attacked him with a baseball bat in his driveway, something that raised serious questions as he waited about 43 minutes to call 911 after the shooting.

In another bizarre twist to the case, Cox was found dead by his stepson in December 2019.

Remains of Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan were found on Chad Daybell’s property (AP)

Again, this death was ruled as “natural causes” though he had the overdose drug Narcan in his system.

The sprawling saga began when Mr Daybell and Ms Vallow met at a religious conference in 2018.

Mr Daybell ran a publishing company that put out books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

While the couple embarked on an affair, their doomsday-focused belief system also began to grow.

Friends told investigators that Ms Vallow and Mr Daybell believed people could be possessed by evil spirits and become “zombies”, where their soul was trapped in limbo. The only way to rid a person of a zombie was for their body to die, according to police reports.

Ms Vallow also told friends she had special powers like teleporting between Arizona and Hawaii, police allege. Mr Daybell reportedly added he had a “portal” to travel to other realms and receive revelations.

The group also believed that once a person became “exalted,” they couldn’t be held responsible for their actions on earth. Prosecutors say that Ms Vallow has espoused the religious beliefs to justify the alleged murders.