🌴💍 She was once the “perfect mom” — beauty queen, devoted parent, all smiles…

But then she fell under the spell of a doomsday prophet who convinced her that her own children were “dark souls” and “zombies” possessed by evil.

While the world desperately searched for 7-year-old JJ and 16-year-old Tylee, Lori Vallow was in Hawaii… dancing on the beach in a white dress, marrying her new lover just weeks after the kids vanished.

She didn’t look crazed. She looked like a woman on a divine mission.

Now serving multiple life sentences, the chilling truth behind the “Cult Mom” who buried her children in her husband’s backyard is finally out — and it’s darker than you can imagine.

Full shocking story 👇

Lori Vallow Daybell, the woman dubbed the “Doomsday Cult Mom,” is now serving seven consecutive life sentences without parole after a series of trials that exposed one of the most bizarre and tragic murder cases in recent American history. Once portrayed as a loving mother and former beauty pageant contestant, Vallow Daybell was convicted of orchestrating the deaths of her two youngest children, her husband’s former wife, and conspiring in the killings of her fourth husband and another relative — all tied to extreme apocalyptic religious beliefs.

The saga began unraveling in 2019 when Vallow Daybell’s children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, vanished from Rexburg, Idaho. What followed was a multi-state investigation revealing a web of suspicious deaths, fringe religious ideologies, and a rapid romance with self-published doomsday author Chad Daybell.

Vallow Daybell, born Lori Norene Cox in 1973, had a seemingly normal early life in California. She competed in beauty pageants, worked as a hairdresser, and married five times. Her fourth marriage was to Charles Vallow, a successful businessman who adopted JJ, a special-needs boy with autism. Friends and family described her as outgoing and devoted until around 2018, when her beliefs shifted dramatically after encountering Chad Daybell at a religious conference.

Daybell, a grave digger turned author, wrote fictional books about apocalyptic events loosely inspired by Latter-day Saints teachings. The two bonded over shared interests in end-times prophecy. Prosecutors later argued that their relationship turned deadly, motivated by sex, money, and power, as they viewed obstacles — including spouses and children — as possessed by evil spirits.

Court evidence revealed the couple subscribed to a distorted belief system involving “light” and “dark” souls. They claimed some people became “zombies” when dark spirits overtook their bodies, and the only way to free the soul was death. Texts and recordings showed Vallow Daybell labeling her children as possessed, with JJ rated as a “dark” entity.

The chain of deaths started on July 11, 2019, when Charles Vallow was shot dead in Chandler, Arizona, by Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, during a domestic dispute. Cox claimed self-defense, and no charges were initially filed. Prosecutors later alleged Vallow Daybell conspired with Cox, believing Charles was possessed by a spirit named “Nick Schneider.” Hours after the shooting, Vallow Daybell reportedly hosted a pool party.

Tylee was last seen alive on September 9, 2019, during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park. JJ was last spotted on September 23. By October 2019, Chad Daybell’s wife, Tammy, died suddenly at age 49, initially ruled natural causes. Just two weeks later, on November 5, Vallow Daybell and Daybell married on a Kauai beach in Hawaii, photos showing them dancing joyfully in white attire with leis.

An attempted shooting occurred on October 2, 2019, when Brandon Boudreaux, ex-husband of Vallow Daybell’s niece, was targeted in his driveway in Gilbert, Arizona. The vehicle matched one previously owned by Tylee. Boudreaux survived unharmed.

As concerns grew, JJ’s grandparents requested a welfare check in November 2019. Police found Vallow Daybell and Daybell in Hawaii, but no children. A nationwide search ensued, with authorities issuing alerts for the missing kids.

In December 2019, Alex Cox died of natural causes. Tammy Daybell’s body was exhumed, and her death reclassified as homicide by asphyxiation.

Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii in February 2020 for failing to produce the children. In June 2020, human remains were discovered on Chad Daybell’s Idaho property: Tylee’s burned and dismembered body in a pet cemetery, and JJ’s bound in duct tape with a bag over his head.

Both were charged with murder, conspiracy, and related counts in Idaho. Vallow Daybell’s trial began in April 2023 in Boise after competency issues delayed proceedings — she spent time in a mental health facility. Prosecutors presented graphic evidence, texts discussing “zombies,” and financial motives, including life insurance and survivor benefits.

In May 2023, a jury convicted her of murdering JJ and Tylee, and conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell. She received three consecutive life sentences without parole in July 2023.

Chad Daybell’s separate trial in 2024 ended in guilty verdicts on the same charges plus insurance fraud. He was sentenced to death and awaits execution.

Extradited to Arizona, Vallow Daybell faced charges for conspiring in Charles Vallow’s death and the attempt on Boudreaux. Representing herself in both trials — against advice — she argued self-defense in Charles’s case and denied involvement in the shooting attempt.

In April 2025, she was convicted of conspiring to murder Charles Vallow. In June 2025, guilty on the Boudreaux conspiracy. On July 25, 2025, a Maricopa County judge imposed two more consecutive life sentences, bringing her total to seven.

At sentencing, victims’ family members spoke emotionally. Colby Ryan, her surviving adult son, called her the “family tragedy.” JJ’s grandfather, Larry Woodcock, denounced her actions. Vallow Daybell complained about jail conditions and the justice system but showed little remorse.

She has filed appeals in both Idaho and Arizona cases, challenging competency rulings and trial fairness. As of early 2026, appeals are pending, but she remains incarcerated, likely in Idaho facilities.

The case drew massive media attention for its mix of cult-like beliefs, multiple deaths, and the Hawaii wedding amid the children’s disappearance. Experts noted how fringe religious views escalated into violence, with financial gains from insurance policies exceeding $1 million.

Vallow Daybell’s only surviving child, Colby Ryan, has publicly grieved, drawing parallels in other cases but emphasizing his mother’s role.

Chad Daybell’s children initially defended him but later distanced themselves amid evidence.

The trials concluded a years-long ordeal for families in Arizona, Idaho, and beyond, leaving communities shocked by how apocalyptic fantasies turned deadly.

Authorities closed related investigations, finding no broader cult network but confirming the couple’s isolated extreme beliefs drove the crimes.

Lori Vallow Daybell’s transformation from “perfect mom” to convicted multiple murderer stands as a cautionary tale of radicalization and loss.