The FBI wants tourist photos of Yellowstone to help them find children

BOISE, Idaho (AP) – US authorities are urging Yellowstone National Park tourists to review their vacation photos to see if they can find any clues about two missing children whose mother was brought back to Idaho for prosecution.

Lori Vallow was arrested in Hawaii last month on charges of abandoning a child. Their 7-year-old son, Joshua “JJ” Vallow, was last seen on September 23, and his older sister, 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, was last seen on September 8, the same day the family went on a day trip through the popular park.

Police in the small town of Rexburg, Idaho, where the children were last known, said they “firmly believe the lives of Joshua and Tylee are in danger”. They also say Vallow, 46, and her husband Chad Daybell lied repeatedly about the whereabouts of the children.

The bizarre case spans multiple states, includes investigations into three mysterious deaths, and touches on rumors of the apocalyptic religious beliefs of Vallow and Daybell.

Vallow’s estranged husband, Charles Vallow, was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in Phoenix last July. Cox, who said the shooting was done in self-defense, died in December of unknown reasons.

In August, Vallow moved from Arizona to Idaho, where Daybell lived with his wife, Tammy Daybell. She died in October. Her obituary said the death was a natural result, but law enforcement became suspicious when Chad Daybell married Vallow just two weeks after Tammy’s death.

Tammy Daybell’s remains have been exhumed, but the autopsy report has not yet been made public. Toxicological results on Cox are also not yet public.

Law enforcement escorted Vallow back to Idaho Thursday and she will be tried on Friday. Vallow’s attorneys Brian Webb and Edwina Elcox of Eagle were not immediately available for comment.

Rexburg Police and the FBI are asking anyone who visited Yellowstone on September 8 to share photos or videos of their trip with law enforcement.

In particular, investigators are looking for anything that could show Vallow, her brother Cox, the children, or a silver 2017 Ford F-150 pickup with the Arizona license plate CPQUINT that the group was driving in Yellowstone, according to an FBI statement.

“Law enforcement agencies are looking for photos and videos that may have captured images of these people and the vehicle or images of crowds and other park visitors where these people might be present,” the statement said.

Photos and videos can be uploaded at FBI.gov/Rexburg.

The investigators are preparing for a breach of the case: The FBI brought a mobile command unit to Rexburg on Monday. The command center, which resembles a large recreational vehicle equipped with crime-processing equipment, provides logistical support to local authorities.

Rexburg police first questioned Vallow and Daybell about the missing children in late November, but by the time the detectives returned the next day, the couple had left town. They asked the Hawaiian authorities for help in finding her.

Vallow allegedly believes she is “a deity charged with carrying out the work of the 144,000 at Christ’s return in July 2020,” according to the divorce papers that Charles Vallow filed before his death.

She and Daybell were both involved in an Idaho-based group dedicated to preparing for the biblical end times.

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any way without permission.