Editor's note: This article contains details and information about an ongoing case that some people may find disturbing.
New court documents reveal new evidence behind the search at Chad Daybell's Idaho home, which led to the discovery of the bodies of 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan.
JJ and Tylee were reported missing in late 2019. Their remains were found in Rexburg, Idaho, earlier this month on property owned by Daybell, their stepfather. The children's mother, Lori Daybell (née Vallow), was arrested in connection with their disappearance earlier this year.
According to the probable cause affidavit for Daybell's arrest, the remains of one child was found wrapped in plastic and sealed with duct tape. The other was burned and buried next to a pet cemetery on the property.
The documents also state that in the days before JJ's and Tylee's disappearance, Lori Daybell referred to her children as "zombies" in a conversation with a friend.
Lori Daybell said part of her and her husband's religious beliefs was a mission to "rid the world of zombies."
The document states that a "zombie refers to an individual whose mortal spirit has left their body and that their body is now the host of another spirit."
Lori Daybell told a friend that JJ had become a zombie, loved Satan, and that the boy's "an increased vocabulary" was also evidence that JJ was a zombie. That same friend observed JJ's behavior and noted that it was the same as she had always seen him.
TIMELINE: Investigation into Lori Daybell, disappearance of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan
Court documents also state that GPS tracking put Lori Daybell's brother, Alex Cox, on Chad Daybell's property near the burial sites on Sept. 9 — one day after JJ and Tylee was last seen.
Cox later died on Dec. 11. Authorities have since determined Cox's death was of natural causes.
On the day officers searched Chad Daybell's home on June 9, he was seen observing officers conduct the search. When officers found the remains, he attempted to drive away and was later caught.
Both Lori and Chad Daybell are now behind bars. However, neither has been charged with murder.
To read the full probable cause statement, click here.
This story was originally published by KNXV in Phoenix.
