TV & Movies

Doomsday Mom: The true story of Lori Vallow Daybell

Cameron Frew
Lori Vallow Daybell on the poster for the Sins of our Mother documentary on NetflixNetflix

Lori Vallow Daybell, a woman dubbed the “Doomsday Mom” after murdering two of her children, has been jailed for life – this is the shocking true story, and where to watch her Netflix documentary.

Vallow was convicted for the deaths of Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and his sister Tylee Ryan, 16, in May this year, found guilty on both counts of first-degree murder and conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, the first wife of her husband, Chad Daybell.

The 50-year-old, who had pleaded not guilty, was handed three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, with Judge Steven Boyce telling her: “The most unimaginable type of murder is to have a mother murdering her own children, and that’s exactly what you did.”

Vallow’s case stretches back to 2019, when her kids first disappeared. The ensuing, grisly revelations have seen her become known as the “cult mom” and “Doomsday Mom” – following her sentencing, we’ve broken down the true story and where you can stream a documentary and movie about her.

Warning: some may find details of Vallow’s case distressing.

The true story of Lori Vallow Daybell: The disappearance

It all began on September 24, 2019, when Vallow contacted Rexburg’s Kennedy Elementary in Idaho to inform them she was withdrawing JJ to homeschool him instead. His last known appearance was the day prior, when he was captured in doorbell footage as he played with a friend. Tylee was last seen on September 8 at Yellowstone National Park alongside Vallow, JJ, and her uncle Alex Cox.

A month later, Tylee’s half-brother Colby Ryan received two Venmo payments from her. He texted her to ask where she was, and she indicated she was safe but too busy to talk. She didn’t answer any calls, and Colby’s concerns grew.

Tylee and JJ Ryan, the children or Lori Vallow DaybellNetflix

On November 5, 2019, less than two months after the disappearance of their children, Vallow and Daybell got married in Hawaii. This came two weeks after Tammy had been found dead in her home, 10 days after she’d been shot at by an unknown man. Daybell refused to allow an autopsy, but claimed she’d gone to bed with a “terrible cough.” It’s believed they falsely told other people during this time that Tylee had died in 2017 and they had no young children.

Three weeks later, JJ’s grandmother asked police to carry out a welfare check on him, and officers were sent to Vallow’s home in Rexburg. According to her, JJ was in Arizona with a family friend, Melanie Gibb, but she told police that she hadn’t seen him for months. The next day, Vallow fleed before the FBI arrived to search the house. Both Vallow and Daybell had asked Gibb to lie to the police about the whereabouts of her children, but her refusal led officers to the realization that both kids were missing.

This kicked off a months-long investigation into not only their disappearance, but Tammy’s death and the couple’s reasons for leaving Idaho. They eventually found some of the children’s belongings in a storage locker, but Vallow refused to cooperate with the police. Daybell’s attorney insisted he was “a loving husband and he has the support of his children in this matter,” and that Lori was a “devoted mother” who “resents assertions to the contrary.”

The true story of Lori Vallow Daybell: The arrests

Vallow was arrested on February 20, 2020, in Hawaii, charged with two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, along with three misdemeanors. Her bail was reduced from $5 million to $1 million after being extradited back to Idaho, but further attempts to lower the amount were rejected.

In March of that year, Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of Vallow’s niece Melani Pawlowski, claimed Vallow and Daybell were convinced “their children had been possessed and had become zombies,” as per NBC News. “[Pawlowski] shared concerns that she’s been told [by Vallow that] Brandon needed to die and that may indicate that Tylee and JJ needed to die as well,” court filings read.

In an earlier petition, Boudreaux claimed that Pawlowski knew the location of both kids. He said he had “serious concerns for his children’s safety if they were placed in the care of mother,” and cited his ex-wife’s “knowledge of the whereabouts of her aunt’s two missing children and her unwillingness to cooperate with law enforcement in finding those children is daunting to father.”

The true story of Lori Vallow Daybell: The remains

On June 9, 2020, police carried out a search of Daybell’s home, where they found human remains buried in his backyard. The next day, the remains were confirmed to be those of JJ and Tylee; as per CBS News, his body was found duct-taped and in red pajamas, while hers was “badly burned.”

As reported by The Independent, JJ had died by asphyxiation after several plastic bags had been wrapped around his head and duct-taped, while Tylee’s exact cause of death “was impossible to determine because her remains were so badly burned and mutilated.”

Daybell was initially arrested for obstruction or concealment of evidence, while Vallow’s two counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children were dropped in favor of the same charge. In May 2021, both Vallow and Daybell were charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of JJ and Tylee. Vallow was also charged with conspiracy to murder after Tammy’s death, while Daybell was charged with first-degree murder after the results of an autopsy determined she’d died by asphyxiation.

Vallow was also charged with conspiracy to murder her ex-husband Charles Vallow, with prosecutors claiming she’d conspired with Cox, who died in November 2019.

The true story of Lori Vallow Daybell: The hearings

In June 2021, Daybell pleaded not guilty to all charges, while Vallow’s case was put on hold after a judge ruled she wasn’t fit to stand trial and committed her to a psychiatric facility for treatment.

In April 2022, Vallow was ruled fit to stand trial, but she refused to enter a plea, so the judge entered a not guilty plea on her behalf. It was then decided that Vallow and Daybell would be tried separately, with his trial set for 2024, while Vallow’s commenced on April 3, 2023.

On May 12, 2023, Vallow was found guilty of all charges, including grand theft after she continued collecting social security payments following her children’s deaths. “I hope that nobody ever has to go through this. I hope nobody ever has to see and hear the details of what happened to JJ, to Tylee, and to Tammy,” JJ’s biological grandfather Larry Woodcock said, as per CNN.

On July 31, 2023, Vallow was sentenced to life without parole and ordered to pay more than $50,000, including fines, as a civil penalty for each of the three victims and restitution.

Judge Boyce said, as per CBS News: “You had so many other options. You could have gotten divorced; you could have found someone else to take care of those kids. And as the state was able to prove at trial, you chose the most evil and destructive path possible.

“You justified all of this by going down a bizarre religious rabbit hole, and clearly you are still down there.”

The true story of Lori Vallow Daybell: The religion

Vallow has been described as a doomsday cult member with extreme religious beliefs, particularly after she joined the Church of the Firstborn, a sect of the Latter-day Saints.

According to Pawlowski (as reported by KSLTV), it’s “a higher organization and God’s church in its truest form on Earth… the Prophet of the Mormon church presides over the general congregation while others are called specifically to run the Church of the Firstborn.”

During her trial, Vallow claimed she’d died in 2002 during Tylee’s birth, at which point her spirit fell to the floor. “Because of this experience, I have access to heaven and the spirit world. Since then, I have had many communications from people now living in heaven including my children,” she said, as Metro reported.

“Because of my communication with my friend Tammy Daybell, I know she is also very happy and extremely busy,” she said, also claiming that “Tylee is free now from all the pains of her life” after suffering “horrible physical pain her whole life… I am the only person on this earth who knows how much Tylee suffered. Her body did not work right.”

As for JJ, Vallow said he’s “busy, he is engaged, he has jobs that he does there and he is happy where he is.”

Gibb testified regarding Vallow’s religious beliefs, explaining (as detailed by Court TV) how she thought “people were light before they came to this planet in the pre-mortal realm, and those who made contracts with the Savior were light. Those who signed contracts with Satan were dark.”

“Whoever questioned her or her beliefs… they became dark or a zombie,” she said.

At her sentencing trial, Vallow said: Jesus Christ knows that no one was murdered in this case.”

“Jesus knows me and Jesus understands me. I mourn with all of you who mourn my children and Tammy. Jesus Christ knows what happened here. No one was murdered. Accidental deaths happen. Suicides happen.”

Following Judge Boyce’s verdict, Vallow’s brother Gerry said (as reported by The Daily Beast): “She got what she deserved,” and described her statement as “proof that she’s loony tunes because you can’t talk to dead people.”

Samantha Gwilliam, Tammy Daybell’s sister, also called Vallow a “liar, adulteress, and [a] murderer… no angels are coming to rescue you. You will live in your prison cell for the rest of your life.”

Where to stream Lori Vallow Daybell documentary – is Doomsday Mom on Netflix?

Sins of our Mother is a three-part Netflix documentary series that was originally released in 2022. You can stream it now.

Her case was also explored in Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story, a Lifetime movie – you can find out more about watching that here.

You can read more about other true stories and their documentaries below:

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