Rob asked Ray if he had been involved in the investigation regarding JJ, Tammy and Tylee. Ray responded by saying that he was contacted by Freemont police on November 1st, 2019, stating that there was a jeep in his jurisdiction that was involved in a possible attempted homicide. He was asked to seize the vehicle if it could be located and preform intermittent surveillance on the residents. At the time, he said he was unable to locate the jeep, but he did take pictures of Chad and Lori entering Lori's home at 565 Pioneer apartment 165.
Rob inquired if Ray had seen any teenage girls at the house or little boys. Ray responded that he never had. He was also asked if he knew who JJ or Tylee were at the time and he replied that he had not.
Ray went on to talk about how he was able to seize the jeep on November 4th and that he had contacted Gilbert police. Gilbert police then came up to Rexburg on November 18th and served a warrant for the GPS for the jeep. That was the first time Ray heard anything about JJ or Tylee. That is the date that Gilbert police asked Ray to keep an eye out for any signs of JJ at Lori's residents because they had received a call from Kay about her concerns for JJ. Gilbert police also had told Ray that they would check down in Arizona to see if JJ was staying with possible friends and they'd check with him at a later date.
Ray said that Detective Ryan Pillar from the Gilbert police called him on November 25th, 2019, and stated that they didn't find JJ in Arizona and that Kay wanted a welfare check. Ray said that the next morning he went to Lori's apartment with Detective Dave Hope where they encountered Chad Daybell as well as Lori's brother Alex. When asked where Lori was, Ray said that Alex claimed that she wasn't home. Ray said he then asked where JJ was, and Alex got a terrified look on his face and then shared panicked glances with Chad and didn't answer. Ray said he asked Alex again and this time Alex claimed that JJ was with Kay in Louisiana. Ray said he had told Alex that that wasn't very likely because Kay was the one that called in the welfare check. Alex and Chad then reportedly shared frantic glances once more. Ray then asked Alex how he could get a hold of Lori. Alex responded that she was in apartment 107 and that he didn't know her cellphone number.
Rob Wood asked Ray what he thought of Alex claims that he didn't have his sister's number. Ray replied that he suspected that that was a lie because during the investigation so far, he had learned that Alex had a really close relationship to Lori.
Rob asked Ray what he did after Alex told him that he didn't have Lori's number. Ray said that he then went with Dave Hope to apartment 107 and knocked on the door. When no one answered, Ray said that Hope began knocking on apartment doors while he went back to his car to call help to knock on doors. On his way back to his car, Ray spotted Chad driving towards him in his black Equinox. Ray said he stopped Chad and asked him when the last time he saw JJ. Chad stated that it was in October in apartment 107 with Lori Vallow, whom he alleged he hardly knew and only had met a couple of times.
When asked if Ray thought there was anything suspicious about Chad's answer, Ray stated that yes, because he already knew that Chad and Lori had been married two weeks prior.
Ray also asked Chad for Lori's number and Chad claimed that he didn't know it. It wasn't until Hope stopped knocking on doors and came over to Chad and Ray that Chad finally gave up Lori's number. Ray said that Chad said he felt like he was being accused of something and that is why he didn't give him Lori's number the first time.
Rob asked Ray what he did next. Ray said that he let Chad go and contacted Lieutenant Ron Ball and told him that there was something going on in the whereabouts of JJ based on the deception, the way Chad and Alex looked at each other, their non-evasive answers and their lies.
Ball came to the apartment complex with a few detectives to help him figure out what was going on. One of the detectives was Detective Dave Stubbs. They went to Lori's apartment and knocked on the door and received no answer, so they knocked on the apartment next door 174 which was Lori's niece, Melanie P's apartment. When they didn't get an answer there either, that is when Ball instructed Ray to go get a search warrant for Lori, Alex and Melanie P's apartments.
Ray said that Hope's had left a message on Lori's cell phone and while they were at the prosecutor's office Lori' called Hope back and said she was home. He then convinced her to open her apartment door Ball and Stubbs, which there is body cam footage of. Ray said that they still hadn't been able to locate JJ, so he contacted Pillar to see if JJ was with Lori's friend Melanie G, which he wasn't.
When searching Lori's apartment, a rental agreement for storage unit C52 at Self Storage on Airport Road in Rexburg with Lori's name on it was found. A search warrant was acquired, and the unit was searched as well. There were children's bikes, winter clothing and a blanket with pictures of Lori, her son Colby, Tylee and JJ on it found inside the unit.
Ray was asked by Rob what his next step in the investigation was. Ray said he contacted the FBI in order to help try to locate JJ, Chad and Lori. He said then he talked with Colby Ryan, Lori's son. When talking with Colby, he mentioned that he hadn't seen Tylee for a while and that is when they started searching for Tylee as well.
Ray said that they had tried to get a hold of Chad and Lori, but their phones were shut off and their family and friends had no idea where they were at the time.
Rob asked Ray about a child protection action that he had filed for Lori to produce JJ and Tylee to the Rexburg police, which she never did. He then asked Ray if he ever was able to locate Chad and Lori. Ray said that they were able to locate the pair in Kauai through tips from the hotline as well as cellphone data. Ray said that he then went to Kauai to assist the Kauai police department with serving the court order for child protection. And on January 25th, of 2020, Lori was served with those papers.
Ray said that he also assisted the Kauai police with the search warrant for Chad and Lori's rental vehicle as well as their condo they were renting in Princeville. After the condo was searched Ray went inside and found no signs of Tylee and JJ of ever being there.
Ray said that he also assisted the Kauai police with the search warrant for Chad and Lori's rental vehicle as well as their condo they were renting in Princeville. After the condo was searched Ray went inside and found no signs of Tylee and JJ of ever being there.
Then Rob asked Ray when Tylee and JJ's last proof of life was. Ray stated that a photo of Tylee had been taken on September 8th, in west Yellowstone and on September 22nd, 2019, a photo had been taken of JJ sitting on a couch in Lori's front room.
Next Rob introduced photos of Tylee's jeep that had been found parked outside of Lori's apartment and impounded by police. Then the court was reminded about the emails that were sent to Lori from Chad as well as Lori's Instagram account and the last known photos of JJ and Tylee. Rob also had Ray briefly explain what meta data is, which is a digital time stamp of where and when a photo was taken.
The topic of the questioning went on to Tammie Daybell. As part of the investigation into the whereabouts of the kids, Ray learned that Tammie had died on October 19th, 2019. He also had learned that she had been possibly shot at on October 9th of the same year outside her home in Rexburg.
Ray then testified about the search of the Daybell home at 202 north, 1900 East, on June 9th, 2020, at 7a.m. Chad's son Mark answered the door because Chad was still sleeping. After police went to his room and woke him up and told him why they were there, Chad called his attorney, which at the time was Mark Means. Chad also reviewed the search warrant. He then asked if he and his kids had to leave. The police said that it didn't matter, but if they stayed, they would be accompanied by an officer. Chad's kids left, but he went out to his vehicle to make a phone call. The FBI then showed up and began marking off areas and setting up their equipment.
Ray described how while Chad was on the phone, he could be seen intently and repeatedly looking over his right shoulder at to what the FBI was doing at the pond and pet cemetery area in his backyard.
Ray described how while Chad was on the phone, he could be seen intently and repeatedly looking over his right shoulder at to what the FBI was doing at the pond and pet cemetery area in his backyard.
Ray then testified how he was instructed to go through the firepit in Chad's backyard to see if there was anything of evidentiary value. While Ray was sifting through the firepit, he said a lot of people started accumulating over to the pond area and so he went over to assist.
Ray explained how the pond area had a large patch where the grass had been a different length than the rest of the yard and had dirt showing and that is why that was a place of concentration. He then described what he witnessed when the FBI began their excavation. He said they removed the top layer of soil which exposed three large white rocks followed by a strong odor of a decomposing body. Under those rocks there were pieces of wood paneling. Under the wood paneling there was moist soil. The FBI then brushed away the soil to reveal what appeared to be a small body wrapped in black plastic. A slit in the black plastic had been made to reveal white plastic and then the white plastic was cut into to reveal brown human hair.
As the excavation was happening, Ray said that he was told that Chad was leaving his daughter's house, which was kiddy corner to Chads, at a high rate of speed. Chad was then pulled over and taken into custody.
The body appeared to have been found was put into a body bag then taken to the morgue with Ray and Ball escorting it. After the body arrived securely to the morgue, Ray and Ball then went back to Chad's property to continue in assisting.
The next place that was excavated was the Daybell's pet cemetery that was marked by a black dog statue. The FBI was already digging there when Ray arrived back at the scene. There was burnt flesh are charred bone found as well as the smell of a decomposing body. Ray said that they were all on their hands and knees digging and had to take turns because the smell was so bad. They eventually found more flesh and bone in what appeared to be in a green melted bucket. Underneath the bucket was a partial human skull. The flesh, bone, bucket and the skull were all put into a body bag. The scene was secured, and excavation was paused until the next day.
Ray said that on June 10th they continued to search the spot where the pet cemetery was. They dug down further and found teeth and more human remains. They made sure they gathered every little piece they could, place it all in a body bag and took it to the morgue.
Ray said that later that day, he went with Ball and escorted Tylee and JJ's remains to the coroner's office in Boise. Rob then introduced into evidence the photos that had been taken during the search of Chad's home.
A lunch break was taken, and Lori's attorney said that she didn't want to come back and sit in court. Judge Boyce denied this request.
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