Mother, stepfather of missing Idaho siblings found in Hawaii, confronted by reporter
Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell vanished in November 2019 amid the police investigation into the disappearance of Lori's two children.
Lori Vallow, the mother of missing Idaho children Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, was arrested Thursday in Hawaii on multiple charges, police said, months after the boy and girl disappeared.
The charges included two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, the Kauai Police Department announced. Vallow also faces charges of resisting or obstructing police officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court, among others.
She was arrested on a warrant issued by Madison County, Idaho, after missing a deadline to produce the children to child welfare workers before Jan.30. Police in Rexburg, Idaho, have said they "strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee's lives are in danger."
LORI VALLOW ABANDONED MISSING CHILDREN'S PHOTOS, BIKES, CLOTHING IN IDAHO STORAGE UNIT: REPORT
"We wish to thank the public for the massive outpouring of concern regarding this case," Kauai Police Chief Todd Raybuck said. "We also want to thank everyone for their patience while investigators worked diligently to comprehensively gather everything they needed in order to obtain this arrest warrant."
“There are currently no criminal charges against Vallow on Kauai," he added.
Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, have been in Hawaii since leaving Idaho in November amid questions from police about the children. The children, originally from Arizona, were last seen this past September but were never reported missing
Police said there was no indication the children were in Hawaii. Vallow was being held on $5 million bail and will attend a court hearing in Kauai at a date to be determined where she can waive or contest her extradition to Idaho, police said.
The arrest came days after Vallow and Daybell were seen on the Hawaiian island of Maui, East Idaho News reported.
Investigators have said the couple lied about the children's whereabouts and even their existence. Daybell allegedly told one person that his wife didn't have kids while Vallow told someone else her daughter died over a year ago.
Three people connected with the couple have died in recent months, including Vallow's fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in July. Her brother, Alex Cox, died in December and Daybell's former wife, Tammy Daybell, died in October.
Her death is under investigation. Cox shot and killed Charles Vallow in Arizona and claimed self-defense. He was never arrested. The test results on Tammy Daybell's remains and on Alex Cox have not yet been released.
Security footage released by an Idaho storage company earlier this month showed Vallow visiting the Rexburg facility multiples times in October and November. She left photos of her children, as well as bicycles, clothing and other items.
Her family members said she had joined a doomsday cult. She reportedly believes she is “a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ's second coming in July 2020,” according to divorce documents Charles Vallow filed before his death.
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Daybell authored religious-themed fiction books about the biblical end-times. The couple married in October, weeks after Tammy Daybell died in her Idaho home.
This is a developing story; check back for updates. Fox News' Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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