Idaho police officially ended their search for Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan on Saturday, confirming that the bodies discovered on Chad Daybell’s property are the missing children. While family members shared their own confirmation about the bodies’ identities, police were working to ensure all options were exhausted before moving forward.
“It is with heavy hearts that we now confirm that those remains have now been officially identified as those of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan,” police said in a statement according to ABC News. Both children had been missing since September, initially reported by extended family in November and grabbing headlines shortly after.
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Idaho police confirmed the two sets of human remains found at Chad Daybell’s home were those of two missing children who had not been seen since September, according to a news release issued Saturday. https://t.co/rO3D6pxysA
— KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) June 13, 2020
Mother Lori Vallow was arrested in February over the children’s disappearance, facing felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children. Daybell has also been taken into custody earlier in the week after the bodies were discovered, facing two felony counts of destruction alteration or concealment of evidence, according to ABC News.
The details behind Vallow and Daybell’s relationship have helped to keep the story alive in the national press. This includes connections to a doomsday cult related to Daybell, the strange circumstances in the death of both suspects’ spouses, and their decision to fly to Hawaii amid the disappearance of the children.
Joshua Vallow’s grandparents have been highly visible during the search for the missing children, sharing pleas with Daybell to reveal what happened to the kids. After the bodies were discovered, they quickly came to terms with what they felt was the reality and shared an emotional statement with those at the scene.
“We were notified that law enforcement had discovered human remains on the property. This is obviously a very difficult time for our family, and we ask that you respect our privacy as we wait further with heavy hearts,” a statement by the families read. “We are filled with unfathomable sadness that these two bright stars were stolen from us, and only hope that they died without pain or suffering.”
While the bodies were unofficially confirmed earlier in the week, local authorities were waiting for official results from an autopsy before officially announcing the discovery.
