Rexburg Mayor Speaks out About Lori Vallow’s Kids’ Remains Found on Chad Daybell’s Property

After investigators discovered human remains on Chad Daybell’s property on Tuesday, Daybell — the husband of Lori Vallow, whose children have been missing since September — was taken into police custody. On Wednesday, those remains were identified as those of Vallow’s children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17. While that news broke, the mayor of the Idaho city in which Daybell’s property is located talked to a local media outlet about the developments.

Rexburg mayor Jerry Merrill told ABC 4 Utah’s Jason Nguyen that it was a “sad day for Rexburg … to find out the news about the kids. But on the other hand, it’s a good day in the sense that it’s good to try to bring some closure to the family and to this story that’s been dragged out for so long,” he continued. “So, we’re glad to have that closure but it is a very sad day for the people who knew those kids and loved them and cared about them. You know, there’s nothing to celebrate.” The interview, which Nguyen posted a day before officials confirmed that the remains belonged to JJ and Tylee, was approved by JJ’s grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, as their representative reportedly gave the outlet the go-ahead to air the interview with the mayor.

Fox 10 Phoenix’s Justin Lum reported on Wednesday that officials confirmed that the remains that they found on Daybell’s property belonged to Tylee and JJ. Both Daybell and Vallow have since been charged with felonies related to this case and are currently in custody. Following the release of this latest news, the Woodcock and Ryan families released a statement in which they expressed their immense sadness over this development.

“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,” the statement read. Additionally, they shared that the Rexburg Police Department, the medical examiner, and the FBI will release statements regarding this case soon. They added, “We ask that you respect our family’s privacy as we grieve — we have only just been told of the loss of our loved ones and need time to process.”