Facebook Lori Vallow and children JJ and Tylee.
On Friday, May 1, Dateline NBC is hosting a two-hour special focusing on Lori Vallow, the mother of two missing children. Lori’s children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua “JJ” Vallow of Rexburg, Idaho, have been missing since September 23, 2019. She has been charged with two felonies, desertion and nonsupport of dependant children, and Lori is currently in prison on a $1 million bail.
On January 27, Lori, who was living in Hawaii her husband Chad Daybell and without the children, was ordered to physically produce her kids by January 30. She failed to comply with the court order and was subsequently placed under arrest. She was extradited to Madison County, Idaho, and she has has been charged with the two felonies, as well as criminal solicitation to commit a crime, contempt of court and willful disobedience of court process or order for failing to produce them, according to PEOPLE.
Lori has pleaded not guilty. During the episode, different family members and insiders will be interviewed about the disappearance of Tylee and JJ.
Here’s what you need to know about Lori’s kids and family:
1. Lori’s Daughter Tylee Ryan Was Officially Listed Missing a Day Before Her 17th Birthday
Tylee Ryan was born on September 24, 2002, and she was officially listed as missing a day before her 17th birthday. At the time she went missing, Ryan was living with Lori, who is her biological mother, in Rexburg. She was last pictured on September 8 in Yellowstone National Park along with her brother, her mother and her uncle.
Lori’s ex-husband, Joseph Anthony Ryan, is Tylee’s father. He died from a presumed heart attack in 2018. She has one biological brother, Colby Ryan.
According to MissingKids.org, Tylee is five feet tall, weighs 160 pounds and she has blue eyes and blonde hair.
2. Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow Is Lori’s Adopted Son & He Is on the Autism Spectrum
JJ is seven years old and he was born on May 25, 2012. He was adopted by Lori and her late husband Charles Vallow in 2013. JJ is the biological son of Charles’ nephew. In a Facebook post four months ago, JJ’s grandmother and Charles’ sister, Kay Vallow Woodcock, said:
He’s a beautiful, intelligent 7 [year old] with the biggest heart, most beautiful smile & has life challenges of a level 2 boy on the Autism spectrum. Early intervention allowed him to flourish beyond all expectations.
Authorities determined that JJ last attended school on the day he went missing, September 23, 2003. He was living with Lori and Tylee. According to MissingKids.org, JJ is four feet tall, weighs 50 pounds, and he has brown hair and brown eyes.
3. Lori’s Son Colby Ryan Is ‘Hurt’ & Has a ‘Million’ Questions About the Disappearance of His Siblings
Colby Ryan is the son of Lori and her late husband Joseph Anthony Ryan, and the biological brother of Tylee. During his Dateline NBC interview, Colby said (as transcribed by PEOPLE):
“It hurts so much. And on top of that, we have a million questions. So you can’t call your own mom. You can’t go to your house — or her house — and see your siblings. You’re just out in the cold.”
He continued, “Like, how do you not produce the kids? That’s the whole reason you’re in jail in the first place right now.”
4. Lori’s Brother Alex Cox Shot & Killed Charles Vallow in What He Called Self-Defense
JJ’s adopted father Charles died in the summer of 2019 when he was shot and killed by Lori’s brother, Alex Cox. Charles and Lori were separated at the time.
According to Fox10 News, on July 19, Charles went to Lori’s house in Chandler, Arizona, to pick up JJ and bring him to school. An altercation ensued between Charles and Cox, and Cox shot Charles twice in the chest, killing him. Cox told police that he shot Charles in self-defense after Charles attacked him with a baseball bat.
After Charles died, Lori moved with Tylee and JJ to Rexburg.
On December 12, 2019, Cox died after being found unconscious in a bathroom by Joseph Lopez. His cause of death has yet to be determined.
5. Lori Is Currently Married to Chad Daybell, Who She Married in Hawaii Weeks After His Wife Tammy’s Death
Lori and Chad Daybell were married in November 2019 in Kaua’i, Hawaii, and two lived there up until Lori’s arrest in January. The two got married two weeks after Chad’s previous wife, Tammy Daybell, died.
Tammy died in her sleep on October 19, 2019. The death was not investigated and no autopsy was performed, as Chad said she died peacefully in her sleep. After his marriage to Lori, the police deemed her death “suspicious,” PEOPLE reported. Her body was exhumed and an autopsy was performed, but the results have not yet been released.
As of April 2020, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office is investigating Chad and Lori for Tammy’s death.
READ NEXT: Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow & Tylee Ryan: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know