REXBURG, Idaho, June 10, 2020 (East Idaho News/Gephardt Daily) — Family members of J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan have issued statements about Chad Daybell’s arrest and the discovery of human remains on his property.
J.J’s grandparents Larry and Kay Woodcock confirmed to East Idaho News that the human remains are J.J. and Tylee.
Chad Daybell is being held in the Fremont County Jail on $1 million bail.
Larry and Kay Woodcock issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
The Woodcocks and the Ryans are confirming that the human remains found by law enforcement on Chad Daybell’s property are indeed our beloved J.J. and Tylee. We are filled with unfathomable sadness that these two bright stars were stolen from us and only hope that they died without pain or suffering. Once officially confirmed, statements from the Rexburg Police, the Medical Examiner and the FBI will be released. We ask that you respect our family’s privacy while we grieve — we have only just been told of the loss of our loved ones and need time to process. We are not granting interviews at this time and hope you all understand that this is the worst news we will ever get in our lives and want to be left alone for the time being.
Thank you,
Larry and Kay Woodcock
Tylee Ryan’s aunt, Annie Cushing, issued this statement:
Thank you for the overwhelming outpouring of love for Tylee and J.J. throughout this crisis. My family and I eagerly await the results of the identification of the remains and autopsies but have hope that there will be resolution and closure in the near future.
As sad and taxing as this protracted investigation has been, I’ve been deeply touched by the heartfelt expressions of grief, kindness, and support throughout this process. Tylee and J.J. won the hearts of people all across the globe. I’ve seen and have been impacted by both the worst and best of humanity. Hopefully goodness and justice will win out in the end.
We ask for privacy in this difficult time.
Chad Daybell’s younger brother Matt and and his wife Heather Daybell issued this statement:
The events of the past nine months have weighed heavily on our family — it has been one of the most difficult things we have ever had to go through. Some in our extended family are still struggling to accept the reality that Chad could have been involved in something so terribly wrong.
On behalf of myself, my wife Heather, and our four children, we express our most sincere sympathies to Larry and Kay and to J.J. and Tylee’s entire extended families. We are devastated by today’s news and the apparent role that Chad has played in what has transpired.
Heather and I have communicated many times in person and by phone with Larry and Kay over the past several months — they have been examples of courage, strength and kindness to us throughout this difficult trial that they have been forced to endure. Throughout this ordeal, we have supported one another in pursuit of the truth, and will continue to do so. They have been praying for our family, as we have prayed for them. Our heartfelt love and prayers continue to go out to them and their family at this very difficult time.
We also continue to pray for Tammy and Chad’s adult children and their spouses. Because of the difficulty of this situation, our relationship with them has been significantly strained. As a result, we have had no contact with them or Chad for the last many months — we do not know where his children stand at this time. As such, we ask for patience and compassion for them and for all of our extended family as we cope with the horrific events that have come to light.
Matt and Heather Daybell
Chad Daybell has made his first court appearance in Idaho Wednesday morning soon after police confirmed that two sets of human remains had been found on his Salem property.
During that court appearance, prosecutor Rob Wood said the remains found, while not yet formally identified, are those of children.
Chad Daybell — the husband of Lori Vallow Daybell whose children, J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan, were last seen in September — appeared in a closed hearing at 11 a.m. in the Fremont County Courthouse.
The courthouse is not open to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charges being brought against Chad Daybell are two charges of destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence, a felony with a maximum charge of five years in the state penitentiary, which could run consecutively or concurrently, or up to a $10,000 fine.
Judge Faren Eddins heard arguments for bail; prosecutor Rob Wood asked for a $1 million bail because the evidence is human remains. Wood added that while the identity of those remains is not known “we know those are remains of children.”
Eddins set Daybell’s bail at $1 million, despite his attorney John Prior asking for it to be set at $100,000.
Eddins then set the probable cause hearing for July 1, keeping July 2 available if it is needed.
A news release from Rexburg Police Department Wednesday morning said: “The Rexburg PD would like to release an update in regards to the missing children’s case of Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan.
“As you may know, on June 9 at approximately 7 a.m., the Rexburg Police Department assisted by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI served a search warrant at the residence of Chad Daybell, located on the 200 block of North 1900 East in Fremont County. During the search of the property, investigators discovered what is believed to be unidentified human remains.
“After proper family notification, we would like to confirm at this time that investigators have discovered two sets of unidentified human remains. Autopsy results are pending.”
Chad Daybell was arrested Tuesday after the human remains were found on his property.
Rexburg police, Fremont County Sheriff’s deputies and the FBI had served a warrant on Daybell’s home in Salem in Fremont County, earlier in the day.
A short while later, backhoes were brought in and began excavating the property.
Lori Vallow Daybell has been incarcerated since February of this year and is charged with two counts of desertion and nonsupport of a dependent child. She has declined to share the location of J.J and Tylee with police.
Lori and Chad Daybell married in last November, two weeks after the death of his wife, Tammy. Police have since described the death of Tammy Daybell as “suspicious,” and exhumed her body from a grave in her childhood home of Springville, Utah. The report on her autopsy has not yet been released.
According to a report by East Idaho News, Lori and Chad Daybell were married with rings she had ordered online prior to Tammy’s death. Vallow Daybell reportedly used a credit card belonging to Charles Vallow, Lori’s previous husband, who in August 2019 was shot to death by Lori’s brother, Alex Cox, who claimed self-defense.
Cox died in December of last year of what was determined to be natural causes.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information is made available.
