Missing Kids' Mom Left Town—and Left Behind a Storage Unit

Items belonging to Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and Tylee Ryan found in Idaho unit
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 5, 2020 3:45 PM CST
Missing Kids' Mom Left Town—and Left Behind a Storage Unit
This combination photo of undated file photos, released by National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, show missing children Joshua "JJ" Vallow, left, and Tylee Ryan.   (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children via AP, File)

The mother of the Idaho children who have been missing since September left the state at the end of November—and left behind a storage unit full of children's items. Detectives who executed a search warrant on the storage unit found bikes, a scooter, and other sports equipment; winter clothing; and some items specifically related to Lori Vallow's children: a backpack with the initials of missing 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow, a blanket with JJ's pictures on it and another one with pictures of missing 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, a photo album with pictures of both children, and a jersey with the name of Vallow's oldest son, who has pleaded for his mom to tell police where his siblings are. East Idaho News has pictures of the items. Police say Vallow rented the unit Oct. 1 and was seen on surveillance video visiting it a number of times in October and November.

She was often with a man who appears to be her brother (the same brother who fatally shot Vallow's first husband in July, claiming self-defense, and then died himself in December; his death is under investigation). Vallow and the man were last seen on camera visiting the storage unit on Nov. 24, two days before Rexburg Police went to Vallow's home to carry out a welfare check on JJ. Vallow and husband Chad Daybell "abruptly" left Idaho the following day. A search warrant was carried out on the unit soon after that, and since then, the storage facility says Vallow's credit card has been declined a number of times and the unit is considered abandoned. No one has visited it, including police, since the end of November. Police finally located Vallow and Daybell in Hawaii last month, and Vallow then missed a court-ordered deadline to produce her children, but as of Monday, Rexburg police had not issued an arrest warrant for her; KTVB explains they may not have enough evidence to charge her with anything. (See much more on the strange case, which also involves the death of Chad Daybell's first wife, here.)

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