A mother involved in a “Doomsday” cult callously murdered her two children, believing they were “zombies”. Lori Vallow Daybell was convicted of killing her children, Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua ‘JJ’ Vallow, seven, in a trial that shocked the nation. She was also found guilty of plotting to kill her husband’s ex-wife, Tammy Daybell, and committing grand theft.
During the trial, Vallow Daybell drew public outrage with her bizarre beliefs influenced by her “Doomsday” partner, Chad Daybell. Chad claimed to have experienced multiple past lives on different planets and asserted that he and Vallow Daybell had been together in several of these previous lives.
According to Chad’s teachings, people were categorized as “light” or “dark”, with varying gradations in between. He asserted that “dark” individuals were earthly and followers of Satan, while “light” individuals were followers of Jesus Christ. Additionally, Chad referred to his wife as an “eternal being” with 21 separate lives, seven of which they were married in.
One of Chad’s beliefs included the existence of “zombies” – deceased individuals whose bodies were allegedly inhabited by evil spirits. It is speculated that Vallow Daybell and Chad became convinced that Tylee and JJ were ‘zombies’ and believed that killing their physical bodies would release their souls from the evil spirits.
In a statement during her 2023 conviction, Vallow Daybell claimed to have had celestial experiences during childbirth, establishing a connection to Jesus and the spiritual realm. She asserted that she had communicated with Jesus Christ multiple times. In a disturbing twist, she declared that her deceased children were content in the spirit world and that she had conversed with her deceased friend Tammy Daybell, who she believed was happy as well.
Vallow Daybell’s third child, Colby Ryan, who was not residing at home during the incidents, participated in a panel discussion at CrimeCon 2025 in Denver. During the panel, journalist Nate Eaton relayed a message from Vallow Daybell to Colby expressing her love for him. The message referenced a Bible verse, Matthew 25, discussing the judgment between the righteous and the wicked. Colby interpreted this message as an attempt by his mother to portray herself as virtuous.
Reportedly, when asked if he desired to communicate with his mother again, Colby promptly responded with a resolute “No”. Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell faced separate trials, with Vallow Daybell receiving a life sentence without parole in July 2023. Chad Daybell was found guilty on all counts on May 30, 2024, and was sentenced to death on June 1. Vallow Daybell was later extradited and convicted for conspiring to murder her ex-husband, Charles Vallow, and her niece’s ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux, in separate Arizona trials.