What we know about the missing Idaho children as their mother and her husband face charges

Both the mother of two missing Idaho children and her husband are now facing charges related to their disappearance.

Chad Daybell appeared in court Wednesday on charges of destroying evidence. His arrest was prompted by the discovery of human remains on his property. His bail was set at $1 million.

Daybell is married to Lori Vallow, whose children — 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow — have not been seen since September.

Vallow is currently awaiting trial for multiple charges, including two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of children, according to a criminal complaint filed with an Idaho court.

Here’s what we know — and don’t know know — about the search for the children that began in November.

What we know

The remains found on Daybell’s property are of children, Fremont County Prosecutor Rob Wood said in court Wednesday, when Daybell’s bail was set.

The charges against him allege that he concealed the remains sometime between September 2019 and June 2020, in other words, between when the children were last seen and now.

Tylee was last seen when she visited Yellowstone National Park on September 8 with her brother, her mother and her uncle, Alex Cox, according to authorities. JJ was last seen at a school in Idaho later that month.

Vallow and Daybell married in November, not long after their previous spouses died and Vallow’s children were last seen.

Authorities conducted a welfare check on JJ that same month at the request of his relatives, who hadn’t heard from him in months. When they arrived, Vallow informed them he was not at the family home because he was staying with a family friend.

Police returned the next day to serve a search warrant after discovering that was not true, but Vallow and Daybell were gone.

They were later found in Hawaii, and despite requests from police did not cooperate and did not present the children.

What we don’t know

Some key elements of the case are are still unknown.

Though the families of the children said in a statement Wednesday that the remains “are indeed our beloved JJ and Tylee,” authorities have yet to confirm the identities.

“This is the worst news we will ever get in our lives and want to be left alone for the time being,” said Larry and Kay Woodcock, JJ’s biological grandparents; Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow’s son from a prior marriage; and Kelsee Ryan, Colby’s wife, in their statement. “Once officially confirmed, statements from The Rexburg Police, the Medical Examiner and the FBI will be released.”

If the remains are of the children, it is not yet clear how they died. An autopsy on the remains in pending, Rexburg Police Assistant Chief Gary Hagen said in a statement.

An answer to those questions would also provide clarity on if more charges are coming.

Daybell’s attorney, John Prior, argued that his bail should not be set so high relative to his charge just because “there may be something else coming down the pipe.”

Those close to the couple have raised concerns over their strong religious ideologies and Daybell’s previous wife’s death — just weeks before his marriage to Vallow — being classified as suspicious.