Police are searching for two missing children whose mother is believed to have joined an end-days cult, and who married her second husband shortly after both she and her new husband’s spouses died in mysterious circumstances.

According to Fox 13, Joshua Vallow, 7, and his sister Tylee Ryan, 17, of Rexburg, Idaho, have not been seen since September. Their mother, Lori Vallow, married her now-husband Chad Daybell this fall, just a couple of weeks after his wife Tammy Daybell died in October. Authorities are now treating Tammy’s death as suspicious and have exhumed her body for further investigation, as CrimeOnline previously reported.

Vallow’s husband Charles Vallow also recently died, at the hands of her brother. As Fox 13 reports, Vallow’s brother Alex Cox fatally shot Charles Vallow on July 11, claiming the shooting was in self-defense. 

Alex Cox has also since died, though authorities told the news station they could not comment on the circumstances of his death due to an ongoing investigation.

Brandon Boudreaux, who is married to Lori Vallow’s niece, told the news station that Chad Daybell, who purportedly identifies as a member of a the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is a member of a so-called cult that considers itself an offshoot of the mainstream Mormon church, and is concerned with the end of the world. Boudreaux said his wife followed Lori Vallow into the cult, and he believes his family’s involvement with the religious group is related to the mysterious deaths and the disappearance of Lori Vallow’s children.

“I spent the last 11 years of my life spending time with Lori and her now-deceased husband Charles,” Boudreaux told Fox 13.

 “I don’t know what happened to those kids, but I know there’s people who do, and they’re not talking… I love them both. I hope they’re safe. They’re both just innocent and they didn’t deserve to be involved in any of this.”

Rexberg police sources told Fox 13 that authorities conducted a welfare check on November 26 at the request of concerned family members. Only Lori and Chad were at the home, and the couple reportedly told police that Joshua Vallow was staying with friends in Arizona; which police do not believe is true.

“We’ve received numerous false statements from them advising that the children were with family members of friends,” Assistant Chief Gary Hagen of the Rexburg Police Department told the news station.

“We’re deeply concerned about the children and their safety… We would even be good with a FaceTime video of the children to make us feel better that they are safe.”

Though Tylee Ryan has not been seen since September, Fox 13 reportedly located Venmo transactions from October that were connected to her account. The transactions are part of the ongoing investigation.

“We’ve gotten pretty much the run around from [the couple],” Hagen told the news station.

“We do know there is some frustration with people thinking that we haven’t done this in a timely manner, but there are certain stipulations — requirements we must meet before we can list a child endangered.”

Anyone who has information about the missing children is urged to call 208-359-3000 or 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678). 

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[Featured image: Clockwise from top left: Joshua Vallow, Tylee Ryan, Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell/Rexburg Police]