The mother of two missing Idaho children rented a storage unit shortly after the children were last seen this fall, and in January stopped making payments on the unit where a scooter, a bike, and blankets were found.
East Idaho News obtained records and surveillance images from Self Storage Plus in Rexburg, Idaho, where Vallow reportedly rented a storage unit on October 1, a week after her children Tylee Ryan, 17, and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow were last seen.
According to the report, Vallow is seen on surveillance footage entering the storage facility with a man who appears to be her late brother Alex Cox. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Cox fatally shot Vallow’s former husband Charles Vallow in Arizona in July 2019, claiming self-defense. Cox himself died in December 2019, and authorities have not released any details about the circumstances of his death.
From the East Idaho News report:
“Security footage shows [Vallow] only came to the business by herself once — on the day she signed the contract. Over the next two days, she returned with the man who appears to be Cox. His silver pickup truck is observed at Self Storage Plus on camera multiple times during October.
During one visit, a man and woman, who appear to be [Vallow] and Cox, enter the building containing the storage unit. The man looks both ways as the woman opens the door. He quickly walks in and carries out a heavy tote with something hanging over the end. It’s placed in the vehicle outside and the man returns to carry out a tire while the woman closes the door.
Between Oct. 6 and Oct. 26, a man, presumably Cox, visits the storage unit alone five times. Cameras show him dropping off a variety of items, including gun cases, and then, on Oct. 28, two men are seen moving bikes into the unit.”
Rexburg police did not discover that the two children were missing until they performed a requested welfare check at Vallow’s townhouse, where she was living with her recent husband Chad Daybell. Daybell’s wife Tammy Daybell died in October 2019, reportedly just two weeks before he married Vallow. Police exhumed his wife’s body in December and are continuing to investigate the possibility of foul play. Vallow and Daybell fled Idaho shortly after the wellness check, and were found to be living in Hawaii in late January. Vallow missed a court-ordered deadline to bring her children to authorities in Idaho on Thursday, and was seen in Hawaii with Daybell as recently as Sunday.
According to the East Idaho News report, Rexburg police served a search warrant for the storage space in late November, directing officers to seize any evidence that “the boy was residing at any of these residences, and/or evidence of foul play or the commission of a crime, and/or evidence of the child’s current location.”
From the East Idaho News report:
Inside the storage unit, officers found bikes, a scooter, winter clothing, a photo album with pictures of JJ and Tylee, sports equipment, a backpack with JJ’s initials and a jersey with Colby Ryan’s (Lori Daybell’s oldest son) name on it. There were blankets showing photos of the children – one focused on JJ, and the other had pictures of Tylee.
Detectives photographed everything, and in January, when Daybell’s credit card was declined several times, Self Storage Plus notified the police. Workers say officers have not returned since the end of November.
As the report notes, the storage unit is now considered abandoned since Vallow’s credit card was declined for recent payments. The items will be held at the facility while police are investigating the disappearances of Vallow’s children.
According to multiple reports, Vallow could be held in contempt of court for her failure to comply with the court order to present her children. As of this time, neither Vallow or Daybell have been criminally charged or named as suspects in the disappearance of the two children.
Rexburg police have not responded to CrimeOnline’s request for comment.
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