A preliminary hearing scheduled next week for the mother of two missing Idaho children could be postponed for more than a month after one of the woman's defense lawyers called for the judge to recuse himself, according to a report by the Idaho Statesman.
Lori Vallow, 46, was extradited to Idaho last week from Hawaii to face felony child abandonment charges. She was initially scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Faren Eddins for a two-day hearing at the Madison County Courthouse beginning March 18.
But Madison County Prosecutor Rob Wood joined Vallow attorney Mark Means in requesting the proceeding be pushed back to May 7, while Means filed a separate document to remove Eddins from the trial without explanation, the Statesman reported.
Why the delay?
There could be a variety of reasons for the continuation of the hearing, The Statesman reported.
“The state might need additional time to gather and prepare witnesses, to gather evidence, and there could potentially be charges from other jurisdictions that they might know about and they’re trying to consolidate them all together,” said Rexburg defense attorney Joshua Garner, according to The Statesman. “When it does happen, the state will put on a portion of their case to show probable cause. The defense is there to cross-examine and try to narrow down the issues and find additional information that has not been released.”
Where things stand
For now, Vallow is being held in the Madison County Jail on $1 million bail — an amount the judge reduced from the $5 million bond she faced while jailed in Hawaii.
She faces two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, among other charges.
Her children, 17-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, and her son, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, have not been seen since September.
Since her arrest, Vallow has not offered an explanation of their whereabouts.
Previously
Vallow was taken into custody Feb. 20 in Hawaii.
Prior to her arrest, reports say she had been living on the island of Kauai with her husband, 51-year-old Chad Daybell, since the couple married in early November.
There were no signs her children were ever with her.
She was flown back to Rexburg, Idaho, March 5, under police escort.
Vallow had been under investigation in the case since the boy's grandparents reported him missing Nov. 25, but Vallow lied to police and vanished from her Idaho apartment just as authorities were preparing to carry out a welfare check, according to reports.
Before she left Rexburg, Vallow reportedly told neighbors she sent her son to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to spend time with his grandparents, which turned out to be untrue, according to investigators.
Police next announced the children missing in December. After she resurfaced in Hawaii, police served Vallow with a court order from Idaho that gave her five days to bring the children in front of a judge by Jan. 31, a deadline she missed.
Police turn focus to Yellowstone
The focus of the investigation has turned to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, not far from the family’s last known residence in Rexburg.
Authorities there said they are just waiting for the snow to melt to be able to search the grounds that cover nearly 3,500 square miles.
Last week, investigators in the FBI's Salt Lake City field office released several photos of the family at the park on Sept. 8, and asked for help from anyone there who may have recognized them.
Officials said the photos taken on Sept. 8 at Yellowstone were found on Vallow’s iCloud account, according to news reports, citing recently filed court documents.
The photos were taken on what is believed to be the last day the teenager was ever seen.
In one of the photos from Yellowstone, Vallow appears with Joshua, wearing a dark hooded jacket while smiling happily for the camera.
Another photo released by the FBI Thursday shows Tylee embracing Joshua, with their uncle in the background.
The FBI also released two photos of a Ford pickup truck in which the family traveled to the park.
Boy seen on doorbell camera
Investigators later discovered Joshua had been last seen on a neighbor’s doorbell camera, playing in the yard with a friend outside the family's apartment in Rexburg on Sept. 17.
A week later, on Sept. 24, reports say Vallow withdrew Joshua from his elementary school and he was never seen again.
USA Today reports that Joshua’s school and two property owners in Hawaii were recently subpoenaed to appear in an Idaho court on March 9 and produce documents related to the case.
Police in Rexburg said Vallow never reported the children missing and never cooperated with their investigation.
Vallow’s Hawaii lawyer claimed she did not produce the children because she did not want them to go into foster care, according to The Daily Beast.
3 suspicious deaths
Her arrest on Feb. 20 was the culmination of months of efforts by federal, state and local agencies working around the clock to find the children and to explain three other suspicious deaths connected to the case.
Vallow married Daybell only two weeks after his previous wife of 30 years died in October, police said. Tammy Daybell's body has since been exhumed for an autopsy, reports said.
Two months later, in December, Lori’s brother Alex Cox also died of unknown causes, according to reports. Cox, who appeared in the Sept. 8 photos at Yellowstone, claimed self-defense in the July 2019 shooting death of Lori’s previous husband, Charles Vallow, and he was never arrested or charged. Reports say Arizona authorities are now investigating Cox’s death.
Daybell, an author of several novels about near-death experiences and the biblical apocalypse, reportedly developed a relationship with Vallow while she was still married.
According to Fox News, members of Vallow’s extended family told local news media that Vallow joined a “cult” with Daybell in preparation for the end of the world. Before his death, Charles Vallow filed for a protection order against Lori after she allegedly began making threats to kill him.
He confided to family members that Lori was cheating and claiming to be a god, according to The Arizona Republic.
He was in the process of filing for divorce when he was killed, according to news reports.
Daybell is not facing any charges in the case and maintains that he and Vallow have done nothing wrong.
In late February, he told news media in Hawaii that “the kids are safe,” according to a report in the Huffington Post, citing ABC News.
A wide-ranging investigation is continuing.
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