FBI joins search for two missing children, mother and stepfather

REXBURG, Idaho (WCSC) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation is joining law enforcement agencies across the country in the search for two missing children from Idaho who may be in danger.

Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, have not been seen since Sept. 23, according to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Vallow may be in need of medical attention, the organization says.

The children’s mother and stepfather, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, are wanted for questioning in connection with their disappearance, police say.

The Rexburg, Idaho, Police Department says family members found the body of Daybell’s wife, Tammy, 39, dead in her home on Oct. 19. Investigators believe Daybell’s death may be suspicious.

Fremont County, Idaho, deputies who investigated Daybell's death learned of the missing children. Investigators determined that within a couple of weeks of Daybell's death, her surviving husband, married Vallow, the mother of the two missing children, the release states.

On Nov. 16, police attempted a welfare check on Joshua Vallow, who has special needs. Police say family members were concerned because they had not heard from him since September. The boy’s mother told police the boy was staying with a family friend in Arizona, a release states. Police say investigators later learned the boy had not been staying with the friend as indicated by his mother.

Police say they executed search warrants on Nov. 27 and learned that Vallow and Daybell had abruptly left their home and say they did not appear to have the boy with them at the time. They also say Vallow’s 17-year-old daughter, Tylee Ryan, who was living with the couple, has also not been seen since September.

The children have not been reported missing, police say.

Anyone with information involving the whereabouts of the children is asked to contact the Rexburg Police Department at 208-359-3000 or the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 800-THE-LOST.