FBI Asks Yellowstone Visitors for Help on Missing Children Case

The FBI and the Rexburg Police Department are asking that Yellowstone National Park visitors on September 8, 2019, submit any photos and video that may assist in the investigation into the disappearance of the two children of Lori Vallow, extradited today to Idaho.

Vallow is the mother of two missing Idaho children, 17-year old Tylee Ryan and 7-year old J.J. Vallow, who had sought legal refuge in Hawaii but was denied a bail reduction today and was instead extradited to Idaho. Her children have been missing for five months, and police have been keen to interview her further regarding her children. From the New York Post:

Vallow, 46, will appear in court in Madison County Friday to face a slew of charges including felony desertion and nonsupport of dependent children in the disappearance of her kids, 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow.

Authorities have been searching for them since November, when a relative called for a welfare check on Joshua, who is special needs, at the family’s home in Rexburg, Idaho.

But police have said the last time the children were seen was in September. Tylee was last seen posing at Yellowstone National Park in a Sept. 8 photo found on her mom’s iCloud account, according to court documents.

Joshua, meanwhile, was last seen Sept. 17, on a neighbor’s doorbell camera outside the family’s condo, according to the affidavit.

The disappearance of the two children, combined with Vallow’s interest in a doomsday cult and fleeing to a Hawaii cult, creates some questions regarding the kids, although Vallow’s husband and stepfather to the children, Chad Daybell, says they are safe.

An ongoing investigation has determined that the children were in Yellowstone National Park on that date with their mother, Lori Vallow, and uncle, Alex Cox.  The group was traveling in a silver, 2017 Ford F-150 pickup, with Arizona license plate CPQUINT. To the right: photo of the missing children and Cox, while a photo of the truck is above, both taken in the park on September 8, 2019.

Law enforcement is seeking photos and video which may have captured images of these persons and the vehicle, or images of crowds and other park visitors where these individuals may be present. The FBI has established a website for the public to upload photos and video: FBI.gov/Rexburg.

The public is asked to continue reporting tips in this case to the Rexburg Police Department at (208) 359-3000 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-8435678 (1-800-THE-LOST).