Coroner’s report released on Alex Cox, Lori Vallow Daybell’s brother; family reacts

Alex Cox. Photo: East Idaho Daily

GILBERT, Arizona, May 8, 2020 (East Idaho News/Gephardt Daily) — Alex Cox — the brother of Lori Vallow Daybell and the confessed killer of her then-husband Charles Vallow — had blood clots in his lungs, high blood pressure and died of natural causes.

That’s according to a report released Friday from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner.

Cox told officers he fatally shot Vallow in self-defense on July 11, 2019; then Cox himself died months later, on Dec. 12. The cause of Cox’s death sparked speculation due to the investigation of Lori Vallow Daybell’s missing children, J.J. Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, age 17.

Then there’s the suspicious death of Tammy Daybell, who died on Oct. 19, 2019, exactly 14 days before her widower, Chad Daybell, married the newly widowed Lori Vallow. Tammy Daybell’s cause of death is under investigation and classified as suspicious.

The biggest question — what happened to J.J. and Tylee — remains unanswered, and Vallow Daybell sits in an Idaho jail, unable to raise the $1 million bail the judge set and has declined to reduce.

But Cox’s autopsy report answers at least one of the dozens of questions surrounding the case.

Lori Vallow and son JJ Vallow are shown left and JJ Vallow Tylee Ryan and their uncle Alex Cox are shown at right in these photos taken at Yellowstone National Park and shared on Thursday March 5 2020 by the FBI Rexburg office

“Cox, 51, was found unresponsive on his bathroom floor and pronounced dead at the hospital Dec. 12, 2019,” an article by East Idaho News says.

“The medical examiner has been working on the case for months and on Friday released a seven-page report, along with a four-page toxicology summary, in relation to the investigation.

“Maricopa County Medical Examiner Lesley Wallis said Cox died of bilateral pulmonary thromboemboli, meaning blood clots got wedged into arteries of his lungs. Wallis determined atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, meaning plaque buildup in the arteries leading to high blood pressure, also contributed to his death.”

What the report says

The medical examiner’s report shows detectives wrote that Cox complained of shortness of breath and chest pain for about a week before being found unresponsive, the article says. On Dec. 12, he was found unconscious in his bathroom, according to a 911 call obtained by East Idaho News. First responders were called and rushed Cox to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Cox’s wife of two weeks, Zulema Pastenes, told investigators he had no prior medical history and did not take any regular medications, according to the report.

The medical examiner performed extensive tests including a toxicology report, which showed caffeine and a drug called Narcan in his system. First responders give Narcan to non-responsive people to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Why such a deep look at Alex?

Months after Cox shot Charles Vallow, he said in self-defense, Cox moved into a rented townhouse near that of Lori, J.J. and Tylee. The children disappeared in September and Cox was seen in the last known photos of Tylee at Yellowstone National Park.

Surveillance video obtained by EastIdahoNews.com shows him visiting a Rexburg storage facility in October with his sister and by himself several times. Video in November shows him opening a storage unit with Chad Daybell, Lori’s new husband.

Cox was never charged with any crimes, but a private investigator believes he fired a shot at Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of Lori Daybell’s niece, Melani Boudreaux. Gilbert police are still investigating, according to Gilbert Police spokeswoman Dani Covey.

Family reacts

Alex’s family issued a statement to EastIdahoNews.com through their attorneys, Robert Jarvis and Garrett L. Smith. It reads:

“Alex’s widow, Zulema Pastenes, along with his mother, Janis Cox, sister Summer Shiflet, and his niece, Melani Pawlowski are pleased to see the report confirms what they knew and maintained since Alex’s death on December 12, 2019.

“In interviews with many news agencies, the family stated numerous times what they knew to be true—Alex’s death had no sinister aspect. With a degree of vindication, the family hopes that the confirmation of this truth will help all to step back, take a breath, and allow the truth to unfold through the process.

“Rampant rumors of evil plots and conspiracy robbed the family of their time to grieve the loss of their husband, son, brother, and uncle. Even so, the family finds comfort in the medical examiner’s finding that Alex Cox died of natural causes.”

2 COMMENTS

    • I was asking myself the same thing! He must have had a drug overdose,
      and ‘someone’ had to administer the Narcan!
      Why else would he have Narcan in his system!?

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