Doomsday Mom Lori Vallow Part 1

Who was Lori?

Lori Norene Cox was born on June 26th 1973 in Loma Linda, California to Janis and Barry Cox. She was the third of four children, with two older brothers, Alex and Adam, and a younger sister, Summer. The entire Cox family was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Lori’s faith was very important to her and her family recalls how she loved the Book of Mormon and quickly took to it. 

In 1992, shortly after graduating high school, Lori married boyfriend Nelson Yanes, but the marriage didn’t last long. In 1995, she married another man named William Lagioia. At 22 years old, Lori gave birth to her first child, a son named Colby. Colby remembered that Lori’s marriage to his father was toxic, and that she didn’t want her son to grow up with that, so they left in 1998.

In 2001, Lori married her third husband, Joseph Anthony Ryan Jr. Everything seemed to turn around for Lori and her son. Joe was a great husband and father, and even legally adopted Colby. On September 24th, 2002, Lori gave birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter named Tylee Ashlyn Ryan. Born just a day after Lori’s sister Summer, Tylee was referred to by her aunt as her “almost birthday twinner”. 

Summer described Tylee as a tiny baby, barely over 5 pounds at birth. The little girl with blue eyes and golden hair seemed to do everything early; walking, talking, reading, Tylee was excited to do everything! It didn’t take long for Tylee to have her big brother Colby wrapped around her finger. The two were best friends, despite Colby being about 6 or 7 years older. Her Aunt Summer told stories about how Tylee always wanted to be a big girl. When Lori had a small hair salon built onto their house and took clients, Tylee would often be found in her mother’s salon chair, getting her hair styled like the “big girls”!

As a child, Tylee was diagnosed with the disease, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). She was admitted to the hospital at least seven times during severe flare-ups, but Lori was always there, being her daughter’s voice when she was in pain and making sure that she was being taken care of. Lori helped her with school to make sure she didn’t fall behind, scheduled visits from friends, and had fun things to keep her occupied until she was released from the hospital. 

Tylee was great in school, even eventually testing out of high school because she was “college-ready” in every single subject. She was an excellent artist. She sang, danced, drew, did calligraphy, and was a photographer! One of her favorite subjects to photograph later in life was her younger brother. Her aunt described her as “funny, kind, but could also be bitingly sarcastic. She really came into her own when she turned 16.”

Tylee had her first job working at her uncle’s chiropractic office, which helped her develop a great interest in physical therapy and working with patients. One of her other passions was her faith; she, like Lori, grew up in the LDS Church. She was a part of their Young Women’s program, and was an advocate for others to join the church. 

Tylee’s aunt later described her by saying, “Tylee was sensitive, thoughtful, considerate, humble, generous, caring, and tough. She would have been the best mother, as she loved children. Her favorite color was a bright blue, she called it the color of Hawaii. Her favorite dessert was a no-bake cheesecake…Tylee loved the shows, ‘The Office,’ ‘Friends’, ‘The Bachelor’, and others. She loved music. She loved her friends and had so many fun times with them.”

After Tylee was born, Lori ended up entering the Ms. Texas pageant. She even went on Wheel of Fortune, explaining that God told her that she was meant to be on that show. Back at home, it seemed like her marriage was headed for the same fate that her two previous ones had.  

Colby said that though he initially loved having Joe as his father, it had gotten to a point where it seemed like everything Colby did annoyed Joe. He became physically abusive towards Colby, and reportedly was also hitting Lori. In 2005, she took Colby and Tylee and left Joe, filing for divorce shortly after. After they were out of the home, Colby told his mother that Joe had been sexually abusing him. A therapist later revealed that Tylee confided that Joe had also sexually abused her. 

Around this time is when Lori became even more involved with the church. She reportedly went to her bishop and told him that she was either turning her life to the temple or she was going to murder Joe for what he’d done. Colby said that his mother often talked about wanting Joe dead, horrified at what he’d done to her children. He wasn’t the only one; Lori’s brother Alex, who did stand up comedy, would include stories in his comedy bit where he talked about how he had tased Joe with a stun gun. The two fought over custody of Tylee, but ultimately Lori was rewarded with full custody.

In 2006, Lori met a man named Charles Vallow through a client at her salon. The two seemed perfect together. Charles was a businessman and financially secure, and Lori really loved him. The two got married and Charles joined the LDS Church, wanting to join his new wife in what she enjoyed so much. 

In 2013, Lori and Charles adopted Joshua Jaxon Vallow, referred to by friends and family as JJ. JJ was the biological grandchild of Charles’ sister, Kay. JJ’s biological parents were reportedly unable to take care of him. His grandparents cared for him for the first 10 months of his life, but he was ultimately legally adopted by Lori and Charles. JJ had autism, and Lori was said to have been a very patient mother and loved having JJ as her son.While the entire family was excited for JJ to join them, it was difficult to tell who was most excited; his new brother Colby or his new sister Tylee. Both siblings were ecstatic to have a younger brother. Tylee helped care for JJ and even sometimes jokingly referred to him as her son. Her love for caring for others was obvious, and she always made sure that her little brother was safe.

JJ was a goofy kid, who seemed to always have a smile on his face. He loved Willie Nelson and the song “We Will Rock You” by Queen. When visiting with his grandfather, Larry Woodcock, JJ could often be found singing songs on a microphone with him. He’d even perform concerts for his stuffed animals at home!

Lori Gets Crazier

Lori’s involvement in the church had gotten more intense after her divorce from Joe. There were pictures throughout their house of temples and she was often talking about what spirits told her, what instructions and directions they’d given her. In December of 2014, Lori told her family that a spirit instructed her to move to Kauai, Hawaii. The entire family packed up and moved to the Hawaiian island.

The children absolutely LOVED living in Hawaii, of course. Lori joined their local LDS Church and quickly made friends. April Raymond, one of her closest friends in Kauai, remembered thinking that Lori and Charles had the perfect marriage and the perfect family. To her surprise though, Lori often complained about her husband, how she believed that Charles wasn’t her spiritual equal.

Her religious beliefs had become more extreme and much of her time was spent either at the church or talking about the spirits and their communications. She told her friends and family that angels were communicating with her. She once said, “I no longer need to sleep very much because I’m woken up constantly by angels giving me instructions on things I can do to help further the father’s work.”

In 2017, the Vallow family moved out of Hawaii and back to Chandler, Arizona. Colby, Tylee, and JJ were all sad to leave the island. Not long after returning to Arizona, Colby reconnected with an old school friend named Kelsee. The two began dating and it quickly became serious. Colby began attending Kelsey’s Christian church with her, which infuriated his mother. It seemed as though Lori thought Kelsee was taking her son away from her.

After Colby and Kelsee got engaged, the animosity from Lori seemed to get even worse. It was as though she felt like she had to compete with Kelsee for Colby’s love. Colby recalled his mother saying strange things, even once telling Kelsee that Jesus loved her, but that he loved Lori the most. At the wedding, Tylee was noticeably absent. While they were taking family photos, he and Kelsee asked where his sister was. Lori told them that she was on a ski trip. As close as Tylee and Colby were, there was no way she would’ve missed his wedding unless she was forced to.

After the wedding, things changed even more so with Lori. She became much more focused on the end times. She’d also become extremely engrossed in the writings of a man named Chad Daybell, later described as “an apocalyptic writer”.

Chad Fucking Daybell

Chad Daybell grew up in Utah in a family that was heavily involved with the LDS Church. He attended Brigham Young University, graduating with a degree in Journalism in 1992. He started his own publishing company called Spring Creek Book Company in 2004 along with his wife, Tammy. The two had five children together.

Chad’s books were becoming more and more well-known within the Mormon community, but he still had to work several jobs to help support his family. Another writer said that in 2014, she began to notice a change in Chad’s writing. He published a total of 25 books, writing about two near-death experiences, as well as what he believed would be the world’s apocalypse and the second coming of Jesus Christ. His writings became more and more outlandish, which brought him an entirely new set of readers and supporters. 

Chad said that after having his two near-death experiences, he was able to be in two different worlds at once. On his official website, Chad’s book, Living on the Edge of Heaven, described his experiences:

“When Chad Daybell was 17 years old, he had a near-death experience while cliff jumping. He crossed into another dimension and realized there was a world beyond this one. A second near-death experience in his early 20s was much more in depth. He was hit by a monstrous wave at La Jolla (La-HOY-a) Cove in California. While his body was being tossed by the wave, his spirit was visiting with his grandfather, who showed him future events involving his still-unborn children. This accident caused his “veil” that separates mortal life from the Spirit World to stay partially open, so he often feels as if he has a foot in both worlds.”

Lori became one of the biggest supporters of Chad’s writing. She fully believed what he wrote about the end times coming and his extreme religious views. Lori began preparing for the end of the world, stocking up on food, tents, and other supplies. Her brother, Alex, seemed to support his sister and her beliefs. He was also heavily involved with the LDS church.

Lori started a podcast with another church member, Melanie Gibb. The podcast was called ‘Feel the Fire’ and was part of the Preparing a People podcast network. Preparing a People was a group formed by people of the LDS church, however it was later said to not be officially affiliated with the church at all. The name was created to reference people readying themselves for the second coming of Jesus Christ. 

An article that was later published on the Faithful Answers, Informed Responses for the LDS Church website said that the Preparing a People group was heavily focused on “sensationalism rather than doctrine”. It summarized the group’s beliefs and teachings by saying, “its teachings were on the fringe of Church beliefs or in outright violation of Church teachings.”

In 2018, Lori finally met Chad in person at a Preparing a People conference. He was speaking at the conference and, while he was selling his books afterwards, Lori went up to speak to him. The two immediately connected and even believed that they’d been married in past lives. Chad began guest starring on Lori’s podcast, talking about the impending apocalypse.

Though Lori was living in Arizona WITH HER HUSBAND AND CHILDREN, and Chad was living in Idaho, WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, the two continued communicating. They each had special cell phones that were just to contact one another. 

Lori’s beliefs moved from extreme to fantastical, as Chad explained that the apocalypse was coming and that only the righteous would survive. He said that Rexburg, Idaho would become the new Jerusalem. The two believed that there were zombies walking around Earth and that demons had possessed many of their loved ones. He also explained how he determined if someone was mortal or demon in a text to Lori:

“Anyway, this is the chart that checks what percentage of mortals are still in their body. It worked for my friend’s wife who died, my neighbor, George Bush, Stan Lee, etc. I kind of forgot about it because we’ve been dealing with zombies and demonic entities.”

Poor Charles

Charles had noticed the drastic shift in his wife’s behavior and had become increasingly scared for his safety and the safety of Tylee and JJ. Lori told one of her friends that Charles was already dead and that his body had been taken over by the spirit of a demon named Ned Schneider, and that they were just waiting for the demon to die.

Lori told her family, including Colby, that she’d found out that Charles had been cheating on her for years, though there was no evidence to indicate that. She painted a picture of a marriage that was being destroyed by Charles. While he tried to call and email Lori’s family, explaining that she was acting erratically and threatening him, they refused to believe it. The entire Cox family cut him off at Lori’s request. 

On January 20th, 2019, when Charles attempted to return from a business trip in Houston, he found that his return ticket had been canceled. When he finally made it back to Arizona, Charles learned that his truck had been removed from the airport parking lot. All of his belongings, including his clothing and his computer had been removed from the family home.

Charles called the police to tell them that his things were gone and that he couldn’t get in touch with either of his children. He explained to officers that he thought his wife had lost her mind, that she and her brother, Alex, were deeply involved in the LDS church, and that Lori thought she was being resurrected. He told them that she’d emptied her bank account and threatened to kill him. Charles tried to explain how Lori believed that he was no longer Charles, but a demon named Ned. 

Lori ended up reporting to the police station the next day with Tylee to explain what had happened. She told officers that while Charles had still been in Houston, they’d gotten in an argument over the phone about his reported infidelity. Lori said that she’d told Charles that when he arrived home, that everything would be gone and that she’d be taking the kids to spend the night in a hotel.

Officers, who were clearly charmed by Lori, explained that Charles had filed an order to have her be evaluated at a mental health facility. They suggested that she voluntarily go get her evaluation to get this all over with, which she did. It seemed pretty clear that the officers thought Charles was the one acting strangely. After this incident, Charles started living in Houston, visiting his children back at Lori’s home in Arizona weekly. In late June of 2019, Charles confronted Lori about her relationship with Chad, threatening to tell his wife, Tammy, about it if she didn’t tell her herself.

Lori’s other brother, Adam, was one the only family members who took Charles’ claims seriously, and was trying to help stage some sort of intervention for her. Despite everything going on between Charles and Lori, it was clear that he still cared for her and wanted his children to have their mother back.

Murder

On July 11th, 2019 at 7:35AM, Charles went to pick up JJ from the house in Arizona. When he arrived, he texted his brother-in-law Adam and told him that Alex was at the house. It was later found that Lori had texted Alex earlier that week, asking him to “stand by her for protection”. She also thanked him for supporting her and that it was “all coming to a head this week”. 

Also at the home were Lori, 7-year-old JJ, and 17-year-old Tylee. At 8:32AM, Alex Cox placed a 911 call and told responders that he’d gotten in a fight with his brother-in-law and shot him in self defense. When the dispatcher asked if he wanted to start CPR, Alex said, “No, I don’t know how to do that.”

The dispatcher gave Alex instructions for performing CPR, which he said that he was doing. First responders arrived on scene shortly after the 911 call was made and pronounced him dead. He was lying on the floor with two gunshot wounds to the chest. The gun was found in the front bedroom next to a gun case. 

Alex told police that Charles had been at the house for about 20 minutes, and that they’d been arguing about Lori. He said Charles had gotten physical with Lori that morning, and that Tylee came out with a baseball bat to try to separate them, but that Charles had taken the bat away from her. After Alex separated them, Lori left the home with Tylee and JJ. After that, Alex claimed that Charles hit him in the back of the head with the baseball bat, so he grabbed his gun from the case. Alex said that he told Charles to put the bat down, but that he’d charged him with the bat, so Alex shot him. Officers noted a small laceration on the back of Alex’s head.

While police were processing the scene and talking to Alex, Lori pulled up on scene with Tylee. Bodycam footage showed Lori waiting nearby, clearly undisturbed. She didn’t even ask if Charles was okay. Lori was cooperative and answered questions. She told police that she’d asked Alex to stay there last night because she was scared Charles was going to come over to the house and hurt her.

Tylee told officers that she’d brought the bat out just to kind of separate them, and that she’d really just poked Charles with it. Lori said that she’d heard the gunshots, but hadn’t seen Alex actually shoot him. Then, she saw Charles on the ground and said that she just went into mom mode, and got the kids outside and into the car. After leaving, Alex called Lori and asked if she was taking JJ to school. Lori said that she’d told Alex to call 911.

As investigators looked more into what exactly happened, they found that at 7:49AM, Lori left the home in Charles’ rental car with JJ and Tylee. She took the kids through the drive-thru at Burger King, dropped JJ off at school, took Tylee to Walgreens to buy flip-flops, then back home. 

The police report that night indicated that it was found to be a self-defense shooting. Alex was interviewed, photographed, then released. No charges were filed against him.

Colby was at work when Lori called him to tell him that Charles had died. She said that he’d come over to pick up JJ, then had a heart attack and died. Colby was immediately concerned about his brother and sister. When he called his wife to tell her, he said that nothing about it felt right, something was strange. Colby went over to the house, where he saw Alex sitting on the couch wearing a bandage around his head. Tylee was extremely upset, crying and hugging Colby. She told him that Alex and Charles had gotten into a fight and that Alex had shot him. 

Friday, July 12th, the day after Charles died, Lori sent a group text to Charles’ two adult sons:

Lori: Hi boys. I have very sad news. Your dad passed away yesterday. I’m working on making arrangements and I’ll keep you informed with what’s going on. I’m still not sure how to handle things. Just want you to know that I love you and so did your dad!! <3

Both boys responded, confused, asking what happened, where their dad was, and if JJ was okay. Lori told them that she’d call them when she could. She gave them no further information. They continued texting Lori:

“Lori what..happened. You can’t just tell us our dad died and disappear. You’re not too busy to just let us know he died and disappear.”

“Lori, it’s been 3 hours. You’re not that busy. I don’t care what you’re doing.”

Lori: I’m sorry you are so upset. I’m so upset too. I’m trying to get JJ ready for bed. I’m waiting to hear back from the medical examiner to make sense out of all of this myself. Please be patient with me. It’s a crushing situation all the way around. I’m still trying to process it too and what it means for JJ.

Lori continued to evade their questions, still not explaining what happened to Charles. On July 15th, four days after Charles died, one of the boys sent a long text, demanding answers from Lori. He also asked why she’d been the only one to contact them and why they hadn’t heard from Colby or Tylee. He asked if JJ knew what had happened and if he was safe, along with wanting to know the details of what was happening with their father’s remains.

Lori responded with a long text that explained how JJ believed that his father was in California working because “he doesn’t really understand”. She said that she was putting up a memorial page on the funeral home’s website and that Charles’ wishes were to be cremated and have his children spread his ashes in Hawaii. She still didn’t offer an explanation as to what happened and continued to ignore their texts. 

On July 15th, Lori called Charles’ insurance company to tell them that he’d died. Much to her surprise, she found that she was no longer the beneficiary of his 1 million dollar life insurance policy, that Charles had changed it a few months prior. She told Chad that he’d probably changed it after he’d been taken over by Ned.