Mother of 2 children missing since September appears in court; bail set at $5 million

The mother of two missing children appeared in Hawaii court Friday after her arrest on an Idaho warrant for felony child desertion charges, the latest development in a case spanning multiple states, suspicious death investigations and allegations of cult-like religious beliefs.

Lori Vallow's children — Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17 — were last seen in September, police say. Vallow's bail was confirmed at $5 million, according to a livestream of the proceeding. Her next hearing was set for March 2.

Defense attorney Daniel Hempey requested bail be set at $10,000, said police had known Vallow's whereabouts for weeks, and contended she is not a risk to the community. Vallow's lawyer previously offered to turn her in, Hempey said.

Vallow, dressed in black, crossed her arms as her attorney presented to the judge.

Vallow, 46, also faces misdemeanor charges of resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime and contempt of court.

Vallow's arrest came after Kauai police received a $5 million warrant for her arrest from Idaho authorities, Todd Raybuck, Kauai police chief, said at a live-streamed press conference Friday. He said that warrant gave Hawaii police the authority to take her into custody in Princeville, Kauai, where she rents a condo with husband Chad Daybell.

“We are all hopeful that we are able to locate the missing children,” Raybuck said.

But authorities have released numerous findings that have increased concern about the children.

Newly released Idaho court documents allege Vallow lied several times about her children’s whereabouts. Her bank account shows no sign that she is providing money to care for the kids, Rexburg police Lt. Ron Ball said in a document filed this week.

Court documents say JJ’s winter clothes and other belongings have been found in an abandoned storage unit.

Police searched the couple's Hawaii house and car last month and found the children’s birth certificates, Tylee’s bank card and JJ’s iPad. Authorities say there's no evidence the children ever arrived in Hawaii.

When authorities announced in December the children were missing, police also said they were investigating the death of Tammy Daybell, the late wife of Lori Vallow's new husband Chad Daybell.

The case has connections to two other mysterious deaths as well. Vallow's estranged husband, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed in Arizona in July by Alex Cox, Lori's brother.

Cox claimed the shooting was in self-defense. He died of unknown causes in December.

In January, Lori and Chad Daybell reappeared in Hawaii as police served a court order to bring the children to authorities Rexburg. Five days later, the children were still nowhere to be seen.

"I'm not at all surprised of that," Kay Woodcock, who is also Charles Vallow's sister, told reporters at the time. "Lori's not going to make this easy."

Woodcock also raised concerns over Vallow's increasingly radical religious beliefs.

She said in a Facebook post Lori was a "wonderful, loving, attentive mother" until things started changing in the past 18 months because of her involvement with a new religious group, which Woodcock called a "cult."

Relatives said Lori Vallow had previously been very attentive to the needs of JJ, who is on the autism spectrum.

“If somebody two years ago would have said this is what’s going to happen with Lori, I never would have believed it,” JJ’s grandfather, Larry Woodcock, said last month when he announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the children. “I don’t know what caused this conversion. You don’t go from being mother of the year, mother of a special needs child, to being a person who won’t even tell you where she is at, where he is, where they are at.”

In divorce filings, Charles Vallow said Lori believed she was "a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ's second coming in July 2020."

Daybell wrote and published dozens of books on apocalyptic events and near-death experiences. In an autobiography, he described many experiences in the presence of spirits, both of his relatives and of others, and his near-death experiences that allowed him to "see on the other side of the veil."

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lori Vallow appears in Hawaii court; bail set at $5 million