Daybell Case
AUSTIN, Texas — Cheryl Wheeler will always remember just how she discovered her ex-husband, Charles Vallow, had been dead.
It absolutely was July 2019 and Cheryl was in her Austin, Texas, house whenever her 24-year-old son, whoever dad is Charles, moved in to the room.
“He had simply literally received a text from Lori (Charles’ spouse) saying their dad had been dead, ” Cheryl tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We were surprised. He attempted calling her straight back, he attempted texting, but she will never respond to. ”
Text messages acquired by Justin Lum of Fox 10 Phoenix show what Lori presumably provided for Charles’ sons.
“Hi boys. I have really sad news. Your dad passed on morning yesterday. I’m focusing on making plans, and I’ll help keep you informed with what’s taking place. I’m still now yes how to deal with things. Just wish you to definitely understand that I favor both you and therefore did your dad, ” 1st message read.
Friends text chain shows Lori had been expected questions that are multiple Charles’ death, but her reactions were obscure and did not offer responses. Cheryl went online for assistance.
“I checked the medical examiner’s website and discovered Charles have been killed your day before, and additionally they had it classified as a homicide, ” Cheryl recalls. “We further Googled and saw every one of the news reports away from Chandler. We discovered that Alex (Cox, Lori’s sibling) had shot him. ”
Cheryl has closely followed the strange activities surrounding her ex-husband’s spouse, Lori Vallow Daybell, along with her brand brand new husband, Chad Daybell, for all months. She’s got perhaps not talked publicly so far and says she’s doing therefore to increase awareness that her son’s half-brother, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, and Lori’s child, 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, continue to be lacking.
Fulfilling Charles
Cheryl and Charles came across through shared friends in 1991. These were located in Austin and had been hitched within per year.
“He ended up being extremely charming and always dressed extremely well. He’s undoubtedly a salesman, ” Cheryl says. “He helped lots of people together with plenty of buddys. He originated from a family that is big was extremely close, and right right right here had been this interesting man from Louisiana that wound up in Austin. ”
The couple ended up being hitched 12 years and had two sons. The males adored their dad, and Charles ended up being nicknamed the “Disneyland Dad” because he had been therefore much enjoyable.
“He would simply simply take them fishing also to campouts and Boy Scouts and simply loved doing all of that, ” Cheryl recalls. “Charles was an athlete, but my males are not into baseball or soccer. They did soccer and rowing, and then he had been really, really supportive of all of the their tasks. ”
Cheryl and Charles divorced in 2003. Cheryl remarried, plus in 2006, Charles married Lori Ryan in Las vegas, nevada. She had previously been hitched to Joseph Ryan, and so they had Tylee together. They divorced in 2004, and Joseph passed away of a obvious coronary attack in April 2018.
Fulfilling Lori
Charles grew up Catholic but transformed into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after fulfilling Lori, a lifelong Latter-day Saint.
Cheryl recalls first conference her at a son’s baseball game and thinking she ended up being a woman that is nice.
“We were sitting close to one another and she seemed at me personally and stated, ‘You probably think I’m an idiot because I’m with your ex-husband, ‘” Cheryl says. “I discovered that extremely funny, but which was the only real moment that is pleasant ever had in every these years. ”
The ladies had small connection, although Cheryl and her husband provided custody regarding the two men with Charles and Lori. The men would invest weekends, summers and holidays that are alternating their dad while remaining along with their mother all of those other time.
Per year after Charles and Lori got hitched, Cheryl became concerned about Lori’s state that is mental.
“She simply seemed down. There have been a large amount of strange goings-on at their house to the stage that the judge ordered digital cameras to be placed within their home to guard the youngsters, ” Cheryl recalls.
Nothing criminal or suspicious ended up being ever on the video clip, Cheryl said, but she stated one thing had beenn’t right with Lori. During custody hearings, Cheryl states Lori appeared to enjoy being in court and “all the drama” surrounding it.
“Lori had been additionally in a custody struggle with Joseph Ryan, and it also was therefore connected that the judge combined our instances entirely into the courtroom, ” Cheryl recalls. “It had been quite odd, but she liked it. That’s whenever I discovered she does not do just exactly what she’s instructed to do if she doesn’t want to. We saw that a complete great deal in court. ”
After Cheryl along with her spouse invested thousands into the custody dispute, they certainly were perplexed whenever Charles and Lori announced they certainly were going to Arizona.
Arizona, single-brides usa Hawaii and JJ
Regardless of the move, Cheryl’s sons proceeded to pay summers along with their dad and their wife, however the circumstances had been uncommon.
“The method they might explain it really is that Dad went along to work and Lori would leave. She’s never really had a job that I’ve known of, apart from being fully a hairdresser she would leave and go be with her family or do other things, ” Cheryl says before they married, but.
Cheryl’s sons had been in the home with Tylee and Colby Ryan, Lori’s son from her husband that is third Lagioia. In 2014, Charles and Lori adopted Joshua “JJ” Vallow from a member of family and Cheryl’s children liked time that is spending their brand new half-brother.
“My boys adore him. They will have funny tales and funny videos with him. He could be their brother, ” she says.
Social media marketing articles suggest that sometime in 2014, Charles and Lori relocated towards the area of Kauai in Hawaii. The few operated a juice that is small from the area, based on business documents. They relocated back once again to Arizona between 2016 and 2017.
If they returned, Charles invested thousands obtaining a properly trained solution dog for JJ, who has got autism. Bailey, a labradoodle, became JJ’s friend that is best, and Cheryl’s sons adored hanging out using their stepbrother along with his dog.
“Three days after Charles ended up being killed, Lori place the dog on the block. She listed it for $2,500, also it ended up being therefore shocking because Bailey had been this kind of crucial element of JJ’s life, ” Cheryl claims. “Fortunately the trainer saw the listing and told Lori she needed to offer it straight back to your rescue team. These were in a position to just just take him right back and re-home the dog to another special-needs child. ”
Death and divorce
Charles filed for divorce proceedings from Lori in 2019 february. In court papers acquired by Fox 10 Phoenix, he advertised she viewed herself as a god finding your way through the 2nd coming of Christ. Charles stated Lori would destroy him if he got inside her method of doing that objective.
“Charles was a tremendously man that is religious and faith is a large thing for him, ” Cheryl says. It was weird beyond what any of us know“For him to say things got that weird means. Otherwise, he will have probably jumped appropriate in and gone along with it. ”
During breakup procedures, Lori disappeared in for nearly two months and took Tylee to Hawaii february. They remained in the Kauai Beach Resort, the hotel that is same she and Chad Daybell had been stopped Jan. 26, 2020, and served search warrants.
Charles finished up stopping divorce proceedings proceedings and attempted to evauluate things with Lori.
Months later on, on 11, the Chandler Police Department were called after Alex Cox, Lori’s brother, shot and killed Charles july. Although police continue to be investigating, detectives initially ruled the shooting because self-defense as Alex advertised Charles hit him having a baseball bat.
“Charles was a baseball player that is semi-pro. He would be dead, but Charles was not a violent person, ” Cheryl says if he hit Alex in the head with a bat. “We were hitched and divorced rather than one time, not just one 2nd, had been he ever physically threatening if you ask me. There aren’t any authorities documents of any domestic violence telephone telephone calls between him and Lori, therefore to say this had been self-defense because he had been violent — it is just not whom he was. ”