Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
‘I Was Wrong’ To Defend Her, Lori Vallow’s Sister Says After Discovery Of Missing Kids’ Bodies
"Tylee and JJ are completely irreplaceable in our family. I have loved them greatly all of their lives," Summer Cox Shiflet said on Facebook.
Lori Vallow's sister and a staunch defender of the Idaho mom is now saying she was "wrong" to support her sister following the discovery of the bodies of Vallow's two missing children at her husband's property.
Summer Cox Shiflet has defended Vallow in the past but after the bodies of 7-year-old Joshua "J.J." Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan were found on Chad Daybell's property, she is now reckoning with the discovery.
"We have prayed for the truth to come to light, but we never thought it would look like this. Believe me when I say, this has looked very different from my perspective than what the public has seen. It’s easy to jump on a bandwagon when you don’t personally know all the people involved," Shiflet said on her Facebook.
Both Shiflet and Vallow's mother, Janet Cox, had previously said Vallow wouldn't have harmed her children and believed the kids would be found alive, KUTV reported.
"I know there are people waiting for me to admit I was wrong. If that’s all you want to know... here it is... I was wrong," Shiflet continued in her post. "I am an extremely imperfect person that loves my family with all my heart, and I wanted to believe the best in them, and I held out hope for the best possible outcome."
The discovery of J.J. and Ryan's bodies marks the end of a long-running standoff between Vallow and authorities, following her children's disappearance last year.
JJ’s grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, contacted police in November 2019 to request a welfare check on J.J. after they were concerned that they hadn’t been able to reach him in months — launching the long-running search, complicated by Vallow apparently fleeing to Kauai, Hawaii with her husband while police were investigating.
Vallow — also known by the names Lori Daybell and Lori Vallow-Daybell — has been charged with multiple felonies, including a count of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children. She has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $1 million bond.
Daybell is currently behind bars on two felony charges of concealment or destruction of evidence. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, according to local station KSL.
Authorities have said the investigation into J.J. and Ryan's death remains ongoing. It is not clear yet if Vallow or Daybell will face any additional charges.
The couple are also under investigation by the Idaho Attorney General’s Office for the death of Tammy Daybell, Chad’s wife who died in October just weeks before Vallow and Chad Daybell got married.
"Tylee and JJ are completely irreplaceable in our family. I have loved them greatly all of their lives. There are no words that can capture this loss. Words are just inadequate," Shiflet said in her post. "But we sadly have to face this new reality and our family will never ever be the same."
