A haunting moment from the investigation into Lori Vallow Daybell, infamously known as the “Doomsday Mom,” resurfaces as former Idaho detective Ron Ball, now the Sheriff of Madison County, attends her latest trial on April 17, 2025, at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise. Ball, a key figure in the investigation that leads to Vallow Daybell’s 2023 conviction for the murders of her two youngest children—7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan—recalls a chilling near-confession by Vallow Daybell’s fifth husband, Chad Daybell, during a 2019 interview. The former detective’s reflections come as Vallow Daybell faces new legal proceedings related to her alleged role in the 2019 death of Tammy Daybell, Chad’s first wife, a case that continues to captivate the nation with its blend of crime, cult-like beliefs, and tragedy. Ball’s presence at the trial underscores the enduring impact of the case on the small Idaho communities of Rexburg and St. Anthony, where the horrors unfold.
Ball, who retires from the Rexburg Police Department in 2020 after 31 years of service and is elected Madison County Sheriff in November 2024, shares his vivid memory of the investigation with reporters outside the courthouse. He recounts a pivotal moment on November 27, 2019, during an interview with Chad Daybell at the Rexburg police station, shortly after welfare checks are initiated for JJ and Tylee, who vanish in September 2019. At the time, suspicions are mounting, but the children’s bodies have not yet been discovered. Ball describes how Chad, appearing nervous and evasive, nearly confesses to the children’s deaths, stating, “I don’t want to go to prison for something I didn’t do,” before abruptly stopping himself. Ball recalls the tension in the room, noting that he and his partner exchange a glance, sensing they are on the brink of a breakthrough. However, Chad quickly backtracks, claiming ignorance about the children’s whereabouts and blaming Vallow Daybell for their disappearance, a tactic that Ball says is consistent with Chad’s attempts to deflect responsibility throughout the investigation.
The investigation begins in November 2019 when JJ’s grandmother, Kay Woodcock, requests a welfare check after months of failed attempts to contact the boy, who is last seen on September 22, 2019, at his school in Rexburg. Tylee, last seen on September 8, 2019, during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park, is also unaccounted for. Rexburg police, including Ball, quickly uncover a web of deception involving Vallow Daybell and Chad, who marry on November 5, 2019, in Hawaii, just two weeks after Tammy Daybell’s death on October 19, 2019, initially ruled as natural but later determined to be asphyxiation by homicide. The couple’s behavior raises red flags: they lie about the children’s whereabouts, claiming JJ is with a family friend in Arizona, a story that unravels when the friend denies any knowledge. By December 2019, Vallow Daybell and Chad flee to Hawaii, prompting a nationwide manhunt. Ball, working closely with the FBI and Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, helps coordinate the investigation, which takes a grim turn on June 9, 2020, when JJ and Tylee’s remains are discovered buried on Chad’s property in Salem, Idaho—JJ wrapped in plastic and duct tape, Tylee’s body dismembered and burned.
Vallow Daybell and Chad are arrested in Hawaii in February 2020, with Vallow Daybell initially charged with child abandonment and Chad facing charges for concealing evidence. The case soon escalates as autopsies confirm the children’s murders, leading to first-degree murder charges against both in May 2021. Prosecutors reveal the couple’s involvement in a doomsday cult, influenced by Chad’s self-published apocalyptic books and their shared belief in “zombies”—people they claim are possessed by evil spirits and must be killed to save their souls. This ideology, prosecutors argue, drives the murders of JJ, Tylee, and Tammy, as well as the 2018 death of Vallow Daybell’s fourth husband, Charles Vallow, who is shot by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona in what is initially ruled self-defense but later linked to the broader conspiracy. Cox, who dies of natural causes in December 2019, is also suspected in Tammy’s death.
The 2023 trials, held separately after Judge Steven Boyce severs the cases in March 2023 due to Chad’s request for a separate trial, result in convictions for both. Vallow Daybell is found guilty on May 12, 2023, of multiple counts of murder, conspiracy, and grand theft by deception for collecting Social Security benefits for her children after their deaths, receiving a life sentence without parole on July 31, 2023. Chad is convicted on May 30, 2024, of the murders of Tammy, JJ, and Tylee, and is sentenced to death on August 8, 2024, following a unanimous decision by an Ada County jury. During Vallow Daybell’s trial, prosecutors present evidence of her obsession with Chad’s teachings, including text messages where she refers to her children as “zombies” and discusses “death percentages” to determine who needs to be killed. Chad’s defense, meanwhile, portrays Vallow Daybell as the mastermind, a narrative Ball disputes, telling reporters on April 17, 2025, that Chad’s near-confession in 2019 reveals his active role in the crimes, not just as a follower.
The current trial, which begins on April 1, 2025, focuses on new charges against Vallow Daybell related to Tammy Daybell’s death, filed after additional forensic evidence emerges in late 2024 linking Vallow Daybell directly to the murder scene. Prosecutors allege that Vallow Daybell conspires with Chad and Cox to kill Tammy to clear the way for their marriage, pointing to phone records showing Vallow Daybell’s communication with Cox on the day Tammy dies. The trial also revisits Vallow Daybell’s mental health, a contentious issue in her previous case. In 2023, she is briefly deemed incompetent to stand trial due to her extreme religious delusions, but after treatment at a state hospital, she is ruled competent in April 2022. Her defense team argues that her beliefs, while bizarre, do not negate her diminished capacity, a claim prosecutors counter by highlighting her calculated actions, such as collecting benefits and fleeing to Hawaii.
Ball, who testifies in both 2023 trials, remains deeply affected by the case, describing it as the most horrific of his career. He recalls the emotional toll of discovering the children’s remains, particularly JJ’s, whose adoptive father, Charles Vallow, is Ball’s friend from church. The case also impacts the Rexburg community, where Vallow Daybell moves in 2019 after Charles’s death, enrolling JJ at Kennedy Elementary School while immersing herself in Chad’s Preparing a People group, a religious organization that promotes doomsday preparedness. The group, which disbands after the arrests, is linked to other suspicious deaths, including that of Vallow Daybell’s third husband, Joseph Ryan, in 2018, though no charges are filed in that case.
Breaking news updates as of 10:52 AM PDT on April 17, 2025, reveal that today’s court session features testimony from a forensic pathologist who confirms that Tammy’s death involves a combination of asphyxiation and possible poisoning, with traces of a sedative found in her system, further implicating Vallow Daybell. Posts on X reflect ongoing public fascination with the case, with users like @JusticeForJJ sharing Ball’s comments about Chad’s near-confession, while others express frustration over the slow pace of justice for Tammy. The trial, expected to conclude by mid-May, continues to draw national attention, with true crime enthusiasts and local residents alike grappling with the chilling legacy of Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell, whose actions shatter families and communities across Idaho and beyond.
Sources:
- Video: [Ex-detective recalls near-confession by Lori Vallow’s spouse]
- Web sources: lawandcrime.com, eastidahonews.com, ksl.com, idahostatesman.com, fox13now.com, cnn.com, abcnews.go.com, nbcnews.com, people.com, deseret.com, kutv.com, apnews.com, kivitv.com, reuters.com, oxygen.com, cbsnews.com, nytimes.com, azcentral.com, ktvb.com, sltrib.com
- Posts on X reflecting public sentiment and updates
