Lori Vallow trial: What to know about the ‘cult mom’ accused of killing her 2 kids

dead bodies of kids Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, who were 7 and 16 at the time of their disappearance, on a rural Idaho property belonging to their stepfather.The grisly investigation that followed revealed allegations of doomsday plots and fringe religious beliefs, and ended with the children’s mother, Lori Vallow, and their stepfather, Chad Daybell, being charged for their deaths.

Vallow and Daybell are also believed to be behind the murders of each person’s former spouse.Daybell’s trial has yet to be scheduled but Vallow’s murder trial moved forward this week when jury selection began on Monday.

Read more: The DNA results are in: Woman who said she was Madeleine McCann not missing girl Ahead of the proceedings, here’s everything you need to know about the grim story of Vallow, infamously dubbed “cult mom.”The story begins even before Vallow’s children were reported missing.In early 2019, Vallow was still married to JJ’s father, Charles Vallow, but the two were estranged and he had filed for divorce.In the divorce documents, Charles claimed his wife believed she was a god-like figure, sent to usher in the apocalypse and carry out the work of 144,000 believers, a reference to the Bible’s Book of Revelations.Their marriage ended suddenly that July when Lori Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed Charles outside the family’s suburban Phoenix home.

Police initially determined the shooting was in self-defence and Cox was never charged. Cox died five months later of a blood clot.Charles was Vallow’s fourth husband.