Lori Daybell Trial Day Three- The Phone Call Between Lori And Chad

The cross examination of detective Ray Hermosilla by the defense continued as Jim Archibald asked about how long it took to excavate JJ on Chad Daybell's property. Ray said that it took about 5 hours until the remains were fully unburied. Then Ray testified, again, that he escorted JJ's remains along with Ron Ball to the morgue before overseeing the discovery of Tylee's remains. Jim went clarify about the teeth and bones being found in the firepit.

Questions involving the movement of the remains to Ada County were points of interest for the defense before then ended their cross examination.

Next witness to take the stand was Lieutenant Jared Wilmore. He has worked in law enforcement and for the Madison Country Sheriff's office for over 20 years. He oversees the jail where Lori was housed as well as the Telemate system.  

The prosecution asked how the phone and computer systems are accessed and how it is monitored by authorities. Jared was asked if has the ability to edit or change any of the information in the Telemate system and answered no, nor do any other agency. 

Jared was asked how he knew the date and time calls came in or were placed. He said that they were time stamped with the date and time they came through the system.

The prosecution then asked Jared if he was ever asked by the state to access some calls and video visits made or received by Lori. Jared replied yes. A thumb drive containing a phone call from June 9th, 2020, between Chad Daybell and Lori was admitted into evidence. Next admitted into evidence was a thumb drive containing a video call between Lori and her sister Summer on June 24th, 2020. Next was another thumb drive containing a video visit between Lori and her son Colby that occurred on August 3rd, 2020.

The prosecution then went back to the call made on June 9th, 2020, by Chad to Lori. Jared said that that was the day the FBI searched Chad's property and found JJ and Tylee's remains. The call was then played for the jury.

Lori Daybell “Hi, babe.”

Chad Daybell “Hello.”

Lori Daybell “Are you okay?”

Chad Daybell “No, they’re searching the property.”

Lori Daybell “The house right now?”

Chad Daybell “Yeah, yeah. [Unintelligible, possibly ‘not the house.’] So Mark Means [Lori Daybell’s attorney] will be talking to you.”

Lori Daybell “Okay. What, are they in the house?”

Chad Daybell “No, they’re out in the property.”

Lori Daybell “Are they seizing stuff again?”

Chad Daybell “They’re searching. There’s a search warrant and so [unintelligible] with the kids.”

Lori Daybell “Okay.”

Chad Daybell “So yeah, saw you’d tried to pull up a, a call. I’m glad you called.”

Lori Daybell “Yeah.”

Chad Daybell “So, we’ll see what transpires.”

Lori Daybell “‘Kay.”

Chad Daybell “[Unintelligible]”

Lori Daybell “What do you want me to do? Pray?”

Chad Daybell “What?”

Lori Daybell “What do you want me to–”

Chad Daybell “No, [talking over Lori] I’m sorry.”

Lori Daybell “[Laughs]”

Chad Daybell “Well, [unintelligible]”

Lori Daybell “Mmmkay. What can I do for you?”

Chad Daybell “I’m [unintelligible] pretty calm. I would call Mark, though. We need, can you just talk with him?”

Lori Daybell “Have you talked to him already?”

Chad Daybell “[Unintelligible, possibly ‘I’ve tried to call him since.’]”

Lori Daybell “So he knows what they’re doing?”

Chad Daybell "Yeah. Looks like I’ve, a call from somebody else who I need to talk to, honey. I love you so much.”

Lori Daybell “Okay. I love you. Should I try to call you later?”

Chad Daybell “Umm, I don’t know. I, I don’t know. Uh, you can try, yeah. I’ll answer if I can.”

Lori Daybell “Okay.”

Chad Daybell “I love you and we’ll talk soon.”

Lori Daybell “Okay, baby, I love you.”

Chad Daybell “Okay. Love you. Goodbye.”

There was no cross examination of Jared, and he was free to go.

Next called to the stand was Lieutenant Joseph Powell from the Fremont County Sheriff's Department with Fremont County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tawnya Rawlings doing the questioning. Joe has worked for 21 years for the Fremont County Sheriff's Department. He oversees patrol, detectives, schedules and looks at reports, covers patrol shifts and help detectives as needed.

Joe testified that he learned of Tammy Daybell’s death on October 19th, 2019. Gilbert police contacted Joe on October 31st, 2019, and asked him if Tammy's death was being investigated. They also said that they had an attempted murder in Arizona. They then requested his assistance in trying to locate a 2018, gray Jeep Wrangler with Texas plates in connection with the shooting.

Joe conducted surveillance of Lori and Chad at a few different locations. Tawnya admitted a photo of Chad and Lori at Cafe Rio on November 1st, 2019, that had been taken by Joe. Next photo that was admitted was another one that Joe had taken of Chad and Lori walking into Hobby Lobby holding hands also on November 1st, 2019.

Tawnya asked Joe if an investigation into Tammy's death was ever conducted. He said yes, because it seemed that she was in pretty good health. 

Joe then testified how he helped conduct a search warrant on Alex Cox’s townhome and helped with the exhumation of Tammy’s body.  Joe then said how he obtained a search warrant for Tammy’s medical records and in reviewing them he learned that she didn’t go to the doctor much, she seemed to be in good health, that she was being seen for depression and her hand. So then said he also got a warrant for Tammy's prescription medications from Walmart and discovered that she had prescriptions for Fluoxetine (an anti-depressant) and Tramadol (an opioid pain reliever).

Tawnya then asked what facts played into the decision to exhume Tammy's body. Joe said that that Tammy had no signs of high blood pressure or other health issues and the fact her husband was with another lady so soon were contributing factors. Joe said that he was the one that got a court order, and he was present for Tammy's exhumation from the Springville Utah cemetery.

Tawnya admitted a photo showing Tammy’s grave and the backhoe into evidence along with other photos that showed the vault, the gravesite and the casket being loaded into a vehicle to head to the medical examiner’s office. Joe then testified how he had been present during Tammy's autopsy. Photos of Tammy's body then were shown to the jury.

Joe then talked about how he helped serve a search warrant on January 3rd, 2020, to 202 North, 1900 East in Fremont County Idaho., which was Chad's home. He said the FBI gave him evidence that he transported the Fremont County Sheriff's office where detective Bruce Mattingly took possession of those items.

The prosecution had no further questions.

John Thomas began cross-examination of Joe for the defense. He some questions to clarify Joe's law enforcement background. John also asked about the photos taken of Chad and Lori at Cafe Rio and Hobby Lobby. Joe said that was the only time he ever surveilled Chad and Lori and that he followed them from Madison County at the apartment complex to Idaho Falls. Joe was with his Chief Deputy and two detectives from Rexburg Police, and they all took separate vehicles, and the other officers took different photos of Chad and Lori.

Joe then testified that he couldn’t overhear the conversation Lori and Chad were having at Cafe Rio because he was sitting at a table that was too far away.

John then asked Joe if he was involved in the investigation of the paintball shooting incident of Tammy Daybell. Joe said that he was not. He was then asked if he was aware of where Lori's at the time of Tammy's death. Joe answered no. John then asked Joe if it would surprise him to know that Lori was in Hawaii. Joe replied with no. The defense had no further questions and court was dismissed for the day.

Lori Daybell Trial Begins! Day One

Lori Daybell Trial Day Two- Part 1

Lori Daybell Trial Day Two- Part 2- Chart and Timeline

Lori Daybell Trial Day Two- Part 2- Chart and Timeline

Rob then showed the court a chart people and of times and events in the case that Ray made to help the jury understand Ray's testimony as well help the jury keep track of individuals in the case. Ray then went over a basic timeline of the case.

I do not have pictures of Ray's chart so i am just going to put pictures of the players in the case as well as a timeline.

Timeline

July 11th, 2019- Charles Vallow was killed by Alex Cox

September 2nd or 3rd, 2019- Lori, Alex, Tylee and JJ moved to Rexburg, Idaho.

September 8th, 2019- Tylee's last known proof of life, which is the photos taken at Yellowstone.

September 22nd, 2019- JJ's last proof of life, which is a photo taken with him sitting on Lori's couch.

October 2nd, 2019- Attempted shooting of Brandon Boudreaux, which was Melanie P's husband at the time.

October 9th, 2019- attempted shooting of Tammie Daybell.

October 19th, 2019- Tammy died.

November 1st, 2019- Detective Ray Hermosillo was contacted by Freemont County about Tylee's jeep that was seen fleeing Brandon's shooting.

November 4th, 2019- The jeep was seized at Lori's home.

November 5th, 2019- Lori and Chad were married in Kauai, Hawaii.

November 25th, 2019- Ray was asked to do a welfare check on JJ Vallow.

November 26th, 2019- Ray talked with Alex and Chad outside Lori's home. The pair alleged that Lori wasn't home. Alex said he didn't have Lori's phone number and Chad said he barely knew Lori.

November 27th, 2019- The search warrant was executed at Lori's house.

June 9th, 2020- The search warrant for Chad Daybell's house was executed and JJ and Tylee's remains were found.

June 10th, 2020- The day the children's remains were taken to the ADA county's coroner's office.

Prosecutor Rob Wood then entered photos of the pet cemetery and burial site where Tylee's remains were found into evidence. Ray described the soil and the "rotting and charred flesh" and broken bone fragments found as well as the clumps of flesh, fatty tissue, organs and bone found in the melted bucket. He reiterated that underneath the bucket was a partial skull and teeth and that the smell at the site was so bad that they had to take turns digging.

Rob asked Ray about June 10th, 2020, when Ray and Ball escorted JJ and Tylee's remains to the coroner's office. Ray told the court that he and Ball went back on June 11th, 2020, to witness the autopsy performed by medical examiner Garth Warren.

JJ's autopsy
The body bag that had JJ's body in it was the first to be examined. When the seal to the body bag was cut and unzipped the black plastic bag with duct tape and dirt on it was revealed. It was then placed onto the metal table, had photographs and whatever evidence was needed was taken from it. Then they cut down the center of the black plastic bag. Inside the bag was a little boy in red pajamas with a white plastic bag around his head and several layers of duct tape from his chin to his forehead area. His arms were folded across his chest with several layers of duct tape holding them into position. His feet were also duct taped and bound and had a white and blue child's blanket draped over the top of him.

Dr. Warren then cut the plastic bag that was wrapped over JJ's head, exposing another layer of duct tape over his mouth from jawline to jawline. He then cut the duct tape away from JJ's arms revealing another layer of duct tape wrapped around his wrists, binding them. After the duct tape that was cut that was binding JJ's wrists, Ray said that from the photographs and the descriptions of JJ he had seen and heard during the course of the investigation, he could tell that that body was of JJ.

Rob then asked Ray what stood out to him in the autopsy. Ray said the amount of duct tape that JJ had been wrapped in, his pajamas that were soaked with human decomposition, that he still had on his nighttime pull up diaper and there was some visible bruising on his arms.

Tylee's remains were brought out next. Once the body bag was open Dr. Warren said that there was nothing he could do with the remains that day and asked them to come back tomorrow.

Next Rob entered photos of JJ's autopsy into evidence and had Ray describe what was depicted in the photos.

In cross examination Jim Archibald for the defense asked Ray to clarify about the date of when he first heard of JJ and also asked to explain what an infotainment center was, even though Ray explained all this all ready.

Jim also asked if Ray or Hope had worn body cams or recording devices when they talked to Chad and Alex, which they had not. Ray was then asked to explain what the reasoning for the search warrant for Lori's home was. Ray testified that it was in order to find where JJ was since he had been lied to about his location and also Chad and Alex's actions that day.

Jim then asked Ray if there was any indication that the weapons or the weapon paraphernalia that was found in Lori's garage belonged to Lori and Ray's answer was no.

Jim asked Ray if he followed up on every tip that came in after Tylee's alleged proof of life and Ray answered yes.

Ray was then asked where Lori was at the time of Tammy's death. He replied that Lori was in Hawaii.

Jim then asked where the FBI was while Ray and three other officers secured the scene at Chad's house. Ray said they were waiting at a church. He was also asked if it was the first time he had worked with the FBI. Ray replied that he had worked with the FBI on numerous occasions.

Court then adjourned for the day.

Lori Daybell Trial Begins! Day One

Lori Daybell Trial Day Two- Part 1

Lori Daybell Trial Day Three- The Phone Call Between Lori And Chad

Lori Daybell Trial Day Two -Part 1

Detective Ray Hermosillo was the third person to testify in Lori Daybell's trial with prosecutor Rob Wood asking questions. Ray is a 22-year veteran of the department and has been a detective for four years.

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.

Ray testified that the next morning they obtained search warrants for the three apartments. Apartment 175, Lori's, was first to be searched. Ray said that there was nobody home everything looked normal, expect that there were no clothes. In the garage they found several guns, knives and magazines for various different weapons. Next to be searched was apartment 174, which belonged to Lori's niece Melanie P. There was no one in that apartment either. When they searched apartment 107, which was Alex's apartment, it was totally vacant.

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.

Rob Wood then submitted photos into evidence of what was found in Lori's garage that belonged to her apartment. First, contents of a large storage tub and its contents were shown such as a ghillie suit, which is type of camouflage clothing that lets you blend into whatever environment you are in as well as the knives, guns, ammunition, magazines and two silencers. Next were trash bags and the contents, which were clothing and miscellaneous papers. Third was a second tub of ammunition and weapons. Next was a black rifle that had been fit for a silencer that had been found on the garage floor. Next was a rifle that had been found in a rifle bag. Next was a Halloween mask that was found sitting on top of a Walmart bag. Next was the contents of that bag which was duct tape and rope. Next was Alex's active passport. Next were documents that had been emailed from Chad Daybell. Next were books that had been written by Chad. And lastly was a cellphone.

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.

He then testified that on December 11th, 2019, law enforcement called National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and entered Tylee and JJ as missing and endangered children. And on December 20th, 2019, the police department gave a press release to announce Tylee and JJ's disappearance. They also set up a tip line through, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the FBI and the Rexburg police department.

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.

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 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.

Lori Daybell Trial Day One

Lori Daybell Trial Day Two- Part 2- Chart and Timeline

Lori Daybell Trial Day Three- The Phone Call Between Lori And Chad

Lori Daybell Trial Begins! Day One.

Lori, JJ, Tylee and Tammy.

Lori Vallow Daybell along with her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, were charged back in April 2020 with the murder of her of her daughter 16-year-old, Tylee Ryan, her 7-year-old adopted son, JJ Vallow and Chad's first wife, Tammy.

It all started back in 2019 when two the children had not been seen for months and she refused to cooperate with Idaho police. Ultimately, the children's remains were found in 2020, buried in shallow graves on the Idaho property where Chad lived.

Lori also faces a conspiracy to commit murder charge in the case of Charles Vallow, her fourth husband.

In April 2022, Lori pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of conspiracy as well as grand theft. Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty for Lori and Chad, but the death penalty was taken off the table for Lori back on Tuesday, March 21st, 2023, by the judge presiding over the case, District Judge Steven Boyce. Boyce reportedly made this decision “to ensure the rights of the defendant to a fair trial are protected.”

Originally Lori and Chad were going to be tried together, but on March 7th, 2023, judge Boyce severed the cases based on new DNA evidence that was made available to all parties in the case.

Lori's trial began Monday, April 10th, 2023, with Lindsey Blake for the prosecution and Jim Archibald for the defense making their opening statements.

Lindsey has a bachelor’s degree in law as well as one in psychology. During her career, Lindsey has worked as both a public defender and as a prosecutor.

In the prosecution's opening statement, Lindsey stated that this case is all about money, power and sex. That Lori used these three things to get what she wanted, regardless of who was in the way. She then said that the three main obstacles in Lori's way were Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Tammy Daybell. She then proceeded to state how each of the victims had something that Lori wanted, and all are now deceased.

Lindsey referenced the Social Security benefits Tylee had received from her deceased father. “Tylee had money; Lori wanted it. Tylee is gone.” 

JJ Vallow was difficult and took time and effort to care for, especially after the murder of his father Charles. The time and effort that Lori would rather direct toward Chad. JJ had social security benefits; Lori wanted it. JJ is gone.

Tammy Daybell stood in the way of Lori having Chad and money from a life insurance policy in Tammy’s name all to herself. And Tammy is gone.

“The defendant and Chad did what they had to do to any obstacle that was in their way of getting what they wanted,” Stated Lindsey.

Lindsey then went on and talked about Tylee's remains that were found in a shallow grave on Chad's property. That all that was left of her were "charred remains." "A mass of bone and tissue - that's what was left of this beautiful young woman - the defendant's daughter," Lindsey told the jury. 

She also mentioned that Tylee's DNA was found on a pickaxe and shovel that were found located in a shed on Chad's property. 

Lindsey then went on to talk about JJ's remains that were also found in a shallow grave on Chad's property. She talked about how his remains were found in garbage bags with duct tape around his head and arms.

Then Lindsey talked about how Tammy and Chad were home alone when she died and how Chad had moved the body. She also states that less than three weeks after Tammy's death that Lori and Chad were in Hawaii getting married.

Lindsey then states about how Lori switched Tylee's money over to go from her daughter's account to her own a little while before Tylee's death. She also talks about how she started receiving benefits on JJ's behalf before his death and continued to collect the money to support her lifestyle.

Lindsey then backtracked a little bit and stated that all of this started back in 2018 when Lori met Chad for the first time at a Preparing a People conference and how she was a big fan of him and his books. And that it seemed Lori and Chad had an instant connection and that they were flirty towards one another. Lindsey also touched base on Lori and Chad's shared religious beliefs, that they believed they had been married in past lives and that they were meant to be together. The couple also started telling people that they were figures from the bible. Chad even wrote a story for Lori that depicts them as these biblical figures and how that story mirrored some things going on in Lori and Chad's lives.

Lindsey goes on to say that after their initial meeting, Chad and Lori's relationship moves quickly and that they were in constant contact. How Chad even traveled to Arizona to visit Lori at her house while she had a gathering there while her husband was away. This is when Chad and Lori started talking about their rating system for rating people light or dark. And how people that were rated dark had essentially been taken over by evil spirits. Lindsey said this is when Chad started telling people how to get rid of the evil spirits. The first step was castings. Castings were prayer and energy work that time and time again didn't work, so they would have to move on to the next step which was destroying the body. They allegedly had to destroy the body because when the castings didn't work that meant that the person was just a zombie and unsavable.

Lindsey stated that Chad and Lori used their religious beliefs to justify to others their actions from affair to murder. This is when Lindsey segued into Lori's extremely close relationship with her brother Alex and how he would do anything for Lori. She said that Chad and Lori made Alex believe that his sole purpose in life was to protect Lori. Lindsey also talked about how when Lori moved to Idaho that Alex quit his job and followed her there. 

Lindsey went on to talk about how Lori told people how she thought that Tylee and JJ were dark. Lori also started telling people that she was here on a mission to gather the 144,000 and she couldn't do that with kids in her life.

Lindsey goes on to talk about how when Alex followed Lori to Idaho, that he texted her that he had changed the Wi-Fi password to "Too many kids." Lori sent the text "funny" back.

Then Lindsey talked about a month or so after the kids were last seen how Lori took many trips, the first of which was to Arizona where she met with her niece Melanie Polowski and Zulema Pastenes. And Lori did a casting on Tammy. That same day is when Tammy came face to face with a masked man who pointed a gun at her, she heard a couple of pop sounds and then the gunman ran off. Later that day, a phone call was overheard from a mad Lori and an unknown individual where Lori stated something about "he can't do anything right." That night there were records that Lori and Chad had talked on the phone several times.

After Arizona, Lori then traveled to Missouri with Melanie P. and the two met up with Audrey Arcario. While in Missouri, Lori led another casting on Tammy. By this time, Lori and Chad had deemed Tammy as possessed by a evil spirit named Viola. Shortly after the trip to Missouri, Lori and Melanie P traveled to Hawaii with Audrey in tow. Lindsey talked about how the kids didn't go on these trips with Lori and how the kids were nowhere to be found and about how Lori continued to spend the kid's money on herself. And even though Lori didn't have the kids with her, she had Tylee's phone which she used to send her son Colby money.

Lindsey talked about while in Hawaii, Lori was in constant contact with Chad and once Tammy died, Lori immediately went back to Idaho. Once Lori was back in Idaho she went to Chad's house and met his kids and as well as his friends and neighbors. And that Chad and Lori when meeting them, couldn't keep their hands off each other. Chad and Lori also told them about their plans to get married. When asked if Lori had kids, Chad responded by saying that Lori had a young daughter that had recently died. Lindsey said that Lori never corrected Chad about that statement and that Lori never mentioned JJ. All she said was "Well i have some step kids." 

Lindsey then talked about how not long after Lori meeting the people in Chad's life how Lori and Chad traveled back to Hawaii and got married. How Lori had been looking up their wedding rings to buy in May of 2019, months before Tammy or the kids met their fates. The rings that Lori was looking up was Malachite rings. That Malachite was very important to Lori and Chad and that Malachite rings were the rings that they ended exchanging at their wedding ceremony.

Also, according to Lindsey, Chad had begun looking at adding Lori to his life insurance policy. In the policy he marked that there were no minor children. He was also looking for rental property in Hawaii and on the application, he put that they didn't have any children either.

Lindsey then talked about law enforcement showing up at Lori's apartment in Idaho on November 26th, 2019 looking for JJ. Alex and Chad were there together. Later that day the police were able to make contact with Lori, who told them that JJ was with her friend, Melanie Gibb in Arizona. However, Melanie G had been told previously by Lori that JJ was with his grandmother, Kay Woodcock. And he wasn't with Kay either because Kay had been the one that called law enforcement about her missing grandson.

When law enforcement returned to Lori's apartment, she had cleared it out and had moved to Hawaii with Chad. This is when law enforcement had really started their investigation as to the whereabouts of JJ and Tylee. They talked to Melanie G. who told them that she didn't have the kids and that she was asked not to talk to law enforcement by Chad. That she had been asked by Lori to say she had the kids and to take random pictures of kids and pretend they were JJ and Tylee.

Lindsey goes on to talk about the phone call that Melanie G made to Lori and Chad on December 8th, 2019. In the call Melanie G asked where JJ was and why Lori had told law enforcement that JJ was with her. In the call Lori refused to say where JJ was but did say that he was happy and that she knew exactly where he was. Lindsey then reminding the court that JJ had been last seen on September 22nd, 2019.

Lindsey claimed that in the phone call Melanie G confronted Lori about Tammy's death. Lori stated that they did what they had to do. Lindsey then reminded the court about how Chad and Lori had claimed that Tammy was dark and reminded the court what they have to the dark ones once casting doesn't work.

Then Lindsey went on to talk about how on December 11th, 2019, Tammy's body was exhumed to be examined and that Tammy's cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation by the hands of another person. She then stated that around the time of Tammy's exhumation that Alex made a statement saying, "I hope i am not their fall guy." She then talked about how Alex died the next day.

Lindsey proceeded to talk about the conversations that Chad and Alex had with each other about people being light and dark. She talked about how Chad and Alex's phones pinged on certain dates. Alex phone had pinged driving past Chad's house on the day that Tammy had been confronted by the masked gunman. His phone pinged again on the day after Tylee was last seen on Chad's property over whereby her remains were found. Chad's phone pinged on his own property that day close to where Tylee's body was found.

Jim Archibald is a seasoned public defender and is one of the few death-penalty certified attorneys in eastern Idaho. He has represented several high-profile clients in death penalty cases.

In his opening statements he described Lori as a kind and loving mother who had an interest in religion, especially the end of times. He said told the jury that the prosecution wasn't sure what happened to JJ and Tylee and that it the burden of proof lies with the prosecution.

Jim then stated she had alibis for JJ and Tammy's deaths. That JJ died in the apartment of Alex Cox with Melanie Gibb and David Warwick, while she was in her apartment. And that she was in Hawaii at the time of Tammy's death.

Kay Woodcock was the first witness to testify. Kay Woodcock is the biological sister of Charles Vallow, who was the fourth husband of Lori and the adoptive father of JJ Vallow. She also is JJ's biological grandmother. 

Rob Wood was the next prosecutor up and he did the questioning of Kay. Madison County has been the prosecuting attorney since 2020. 

Kay talked about when JJ was born to her son, JJ was premature with drugs in his system and was placed in the care of Kay and her husband. She stated that her and Larry took care of JJ for the first 6 months or so of his life. However, they came to the conclusion that even though her and Larry were JJ's legal guardians, that Charles and Lori had a better lifestyle for raising a child with special needs. So when Lori and Charles approached the grandparents about taking over custody of JJ, that it seemed like the right move with the stipulation that Larry and Kay remain involved in JJ’s life.

Kay talked about how her and Larry would visit JJ every three months when JJ lived in Arizona and about every six months when he moved him to Hawaii. 

Kay then talked about how in February of 2019, Charles and Lori had split up and Kay had come and stayed to take care of JJ while Charles worked because Lori had deserted them and was nowhere to be found. Then Kay took JJ back with her to Louisiana for a few weeks. Then she talked about how Charles and JJ moved to Houston where there was better schools and Kay could travel back and forth easier to continue to help take care of JJ. She talked about how Lori still was nowhere to be found. That is when Kay began helping Charle's with his business and gained access to his e-mails and banking information. And that Charles, who had a $1 million life insurance policy, had changed the beneficiary to remove Lori to leave the money to Kay so that she could use part of it to take care of JJ and the rest give to Charles other two sons.

Kay then talked about how finally in April of 2019 Lori returned to Charles a d JJ. In June of 2019, Charles bought Lori and JJ a home in Chandler Arizona. Charles did not move into the home, he still had a place and Texas, and when he'd go to Arizona to visit JJ and Lori, he'd stay in a hotel. Kay said that during that time Charles planned on divorcing Lori, but sadly the divorce never was finalized.

Kay then said that Charles died on July 11th, 2019, and after his death Lori texted Kay asking about his life insurance policy. 

Then Kay talked about the last time she saw JJ was the weekend of May 17th, 2019. They had given him an early birthday party at Mr. Gatty's pizza place in Louisiana. 

She went on to say that after Charles passed away that she only had contact with JJ three times and all of them were on Facetime. The first was around June 20th, 2019 and it was very different from the calls they had had with JJ before. It was a very brief call that last 35 to 45 seconds. And instead of JJ holding the device he was talking on, someone taller than him was holding it for him and he kept glancing up at whomever it was. She said the next time she talked to JJ, he was in a bad mood and didn't want to talk. The conversation lasted under a minute and again someone was holding the tablet for him. August 10th, 2019 was the last time Kay heard from JJ. Someone was holding the device for him again. He said" Hi Maw Maw and hi Paw Paw." He then looked up at whoever was holding the device and told Kay and Larry he had to go and hung up. After the last time Kay and Larry talked to JJ, they tried in vain via phone, text, email and voicemail.

Rob Wood had Kay back track and talk about how shortly after Charle's death she had made arrangements to bring JJ back to Louisiana to attend Charles’s memorial service, but JJ and Lori never did attend the service.

Kay then talked about how she had been increasingly concerned about JJ's safety and how they found out about Charle's the death the day after it happened. That is when they contacted detectives and flew out to Arizona to talk to detectives in person and reiterate their concerns. Also, after the last time Kay and Larry spoke with JJ, they talked to detectives several times about being worried about JJ.

Kay also discussed that they hired a private investigator in October of 2019 in order to try to find out where JJ ways because there were rumors that Lori had left Arizona with JJ.

Wood then asked Kay if JJ had been with her in November of 2019 when Lori had told Meleni G that that is where JJ was, Kay said that he was never there. However, Kay did say that on the 8th of that month she learned where Lori was when she tried to hook up a printer that had belonged to Charles. She had logged into Charle's Gmail where she noticed a Amazon order status email that stated a packaged had been ordered a few days before November 8th and had been delivered to 575 Pioneer Road, Apartment 175 (Lori's apartment)in Rexburg Idaho. Kay then contacted law enforcement again and told them about the delivery and also what else she had found. Someone with Charle's account had browsed for dresses for a beach wedding, a bathing suit and a men's large white linen top and pants along with a couple of malachite wedding rings on October 2nd of 2019.

In January of 2020, Kay requested a welfare check on JJ by the Rexburg Police. At encouragement by the FBI, Kay also put out a reward in the aide for the search for JJ as well as media interviews. Around this time Kay discovered that Lori had married Chad.

Then Kay confirmed that she became aware of the bodies of JJ and Tylee being found in Chad’s backyard on June 9th, 2020, buried in shallow graves.

Under cross-examination by the defense, Kay was asked about how long she and Larry cared for JJ and about the adoption arrangements as well as the demise of the relationship between Charles and Lori.

Brandon Bordeaux was the next person to take the witness stand with prosecutor Rachel Smith doing the questioning. Brandon had been previously married to Lori’s niece Melanie Pawlowski.

Rachel Smith is a special prosecutor a special prosecutor from Missouri and has experience with homicide and death penalty cases. 

Brandon testified that he had a close relationship with Tylee and JJ and choked up when he described how his oldest son and JJ had a special connection and spent a lot of time together.

Brandon talked about how he watched her grow up and he was also the one who baptized Tylee into the LDS church when she was eight years old.

He then talked about how Lori was more like a mom figure to Melanie P than an aunt and that Melanie P was always trying to be like Lori. 

Brandon then talked about how in 2018 things changed with Melanie P. Before she had not been a big fan of going to church and he was the one who would drag her along. In 2018 she became more active in the church and started going to firesides, which were special religions activities. However, the firesides that Melanie would attend, Lori would be in tow for most of them and they were not sponsored by the church. Melanie P also felt the need to go to the temple everyday she also started to believe that the world was going to end soon.

Brandon went on to talk about how his family's relationship with Lori's family started to decline at the begging of 2019. Brandon and Melanie P received text messages and phone calls from Charles and Lori, where Lori had accused Chad of cheating on her.

Brandon then testified about how his marriage to Melanie P started to deteriorate after she had refused to go to his grandfather's funeral in June of 2019. The argument escalated and she claimed that she didn't feel safe with Brandon anymore, accused Brandon of hacking into Lori’s laptop and accused Brandon of being gay. 

Brandon said that in July of 2019 they started divorce proceedings at Melanie P's request. He rented Melanie P a home and as soon as Brandon sold the house that they had been living in, he rented himself a place for the time being as well.

He then started talking about how on October 2nd, 2019, someone parked in front of his house and shot at him as he drove home from the gym. Brandon described a barrel of a gun with a silencer on it appearing out of the window of a Jeep he recognized as the one that Charles had bought Tylee. Brandon then heard a “bang” and his driver's side window was shot out. He sped away and dialed 9-1-1. Later he met with law enforcement and told them how he had recognized the jeep. He also talked to Lori's brother Adam Cox and her nephew Zach Cox about his encounter.

After the shooting Brandon said that he remembered the emails that Charles had sent him before he died about the religious groups Melanie P was involved with. When he checked the emails, he came by Chad Daybell's name. From there he started Googling Chad's name and found Tammy's obituary. Brandon then reported all this to the police and told them that there was something strange going on and then asked them to follow up on things. Further conversations with family, friends and police led Brandon to realize that no one had seen Tylee or JJ for some time.

Brandon began to get choked up again when he started talking about when he learned Tylee and JJ's remains where located. He talked about how he drove up to Rexburg on June 11th, 2020, and met with Larry and Kay. While in Rexburg, Brandon was asked by police to identify JJ's remains which he did.

Lori's other defense attorney, John Thomas, began his cross-examination focusing on the internet searches Brandon had conducted as well as his sexuality. John also went over the incident where Brandon was shot at. Then he asked Brandon why he had been the one that identified JJ. Brandon stated that “I think I was as close to JJ as Larry and Kay. We were all family.” He also stated that Larry had been asked first to identify JJ, but it was too overwhelming for him so then Brandon was asked and complied.

There were no further questions asked of Brandon and court was adjourned for the day.

Lori Daybell Trial Day Two- Part 1

Lori Daybell Trial Day Two- Part 2- Chart and Timeline

Lori Daybell Trial Day Three- The Phone Call Between Lori And Chad

Project Cold Case's Founder's Father Murdered!

Clifford Thomas Backmann was the life of the party and everyone's friend. He was an avid reader, a civil war buff, a Gator fan and loved dogs and classical music.

Clifford was born on April 25th, 1953, in Long Island, New York to Thomas and Mary Backmann. 

In Jacksonville, Florida, on October 10th, 2009, Clifford was a 56-year-old, 6ft tall man and weighed 220 lbs. He had blue eyes, short dirty blonde hair and a matching mustache. 

He was by himself at newly built office complex at 6960 Bonneval Road near the intersection of Philips Highway and J. Turner Butler Blvd. He was a superintendent in the commercial construction industry and was at the site by himself to clean up and to check up on things. It was a second job for him which he had taken in order to help pay for his wife Jane's cancer treatment.

At 12:30 p.m., Clifford was standing in the doorway of suite 303 vacuuming up drywall dust when he was shot once in the lower left side of his back by a black man wearing a red shirt and possibly red shorts. The man then took Clifford's wallet and fled the scene. Clifford was able to pull out his cellphone and call 9-1-1 and give a brief description of the suspect before he fell unconscious on the sidewalk. He was rushed to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Later that day, Clifford's son Ryan was at home when two plain clothed police detectives exited an unmarked car and approached him. They said that they were sorry and informed him that his father was murdered earlier that day. Ryan was in shock; he had just talked to his father the night before.

Clifford had divorced Ryan's mother when Ryan was two years old. He was in and out of Ryan's life and for the last ten years they were working on their relationship and were closer than they had ever been before.

 

Police searched the scene, canvased the area and checked surveillance footage in order to help identify the suspect. It appeared the only witness to the crime.

Sadly, while waiting for answers in her husband's murder, Jane passed away from cancer on Thursday, May 13th, 2010.  Jane had been the manager of Loops Nursery in Jacksonville.

In April of 2011, Ryan met with authorities, who despite their efforts to solve Clifford's murder, informed him that they had no more leads to investigate and that his father’s case was officially considered to be cold. This is when the idea for Project Cold Case sparked in Ryan's head.

In March 2013, Ryan and Senator Aaron Bean, drafted a bill which would push for legislation to create a Cold Case Task Force. The bill passed in April of 2015. The bill included plans to have 19 members pulled from law enforcement and local victim advocacy groups to lead their task force. The group would be tasked with evaluating policies and procedures which are used by law enforcement agencies to investigate unsolved homicides and cold cases, along with establishing best practices for these policies and procedures.

In March of 2015, Project Cold Case was launched. Project Cold Case is a non-profit organization and website which publicizes and brings awareness to unsolved homicides in the United States. They work closely with surviving family members and law enforcement.

"As the son of an unsolved homicide victim, I can see how a case gets forgotten and without somebody to fight for that victim to constantly keep them in the public eye, they just slowly disappear." -Ryan Backmann

Clifford never got to meet his grandchildren that were born after he was murdered. 

If you have any information regarding Clifford’s murder, please contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at (904) 630-0500 or in an email to JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. Those who wish to remain anonymous and possibly receive a cash reward up to $3,000 can call Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-TIPS (8477).

Help find Sarah Kilgore

 

Sarah May Kilgore was born on January 25th, 1980, to Eugenia Perry. Sarah had a big heart, and she would help anyone. Sadly, she lost her two brothers, one in 1990 and the other one in 1999.

Sarah and her mother were very close, they'd talk several times a day. She had five boys.

Sarah was last seen walking in her Indianapolis, Indiana neighborhood on October 9, 2011. She has never been heard from again.  

A few weeks before Sarah went missing, she had called her mother and told her that she feared for her life. Her mother called 911 and asked for a welfare check. A policemen called her back after the welfare check and warned her not to do it again or he would have her arrested. A few days after that, Sarah went and visited her mom for a few days with a friend named Nikki Knapp. During that visit Sarah had told one of her brother's that she was fearful of a man named Rondell Castine. Sarah's mother begged her to stay but she wouldn't listen and headed back home.

Eugenia talked to her daughter several times a day for about five days. Eugenia said that her daughter seemed ok, but then after the five days she was unable to get a hold of her, so Sarah's dad went over to her house to check on her. Her dad was surprised to find where Sarah was living to be completely empty as though there was no one living there.

The police refused to let Kilgore's family file a missing person report until 30 days had passed. She is originally from southern Indiana.

It should be noted that Sarah had a boyfriend named Daniel who was a married man.

At the time of her disappearance, she was 31 years old, 5'7, 120 - 130 pounds with Auburn/brown hair, blue eyes. She has a tattoo of the name "Patrick" on her lower back and a tattoo of the cartoon character Tweety Bird on her right leg. She has dimples when she smiles.

If you have any information on Sarah's whereabouts, please contact Indianapolis Police Department 317-327-6915.

Sarah had a grandson born this year that her family would love her to meet. They all miss her dearly.

"I miss how she would help me she would come over and do anything I needed done. I miss her smile she had dimples.  I just miss everything about her." ~Eugenia Perry

Back in 2019 there was a possible sighting of Sarah at a casino in Ohio as well as at a dollar store in Indiana in 2021.

The Bardstown Murders: Kathy and Sammi Netherland

Kathy Lynn Hardin Netherland was born on September 7th, 1965, in Shelbyville, Shelby County, Kentucky to Norris Lee & Betty Lou Bryan Hardin. 

She was a loving person, kind and sweet with a hard will. She was also a hard-working special education teacher, a devoted wife, an amazing mother, and Christian. She gave the world all she had and didn't ask for anything in return.

Kathy had a Master of Special Education from Campbellsville University, Master of Vocational Rehabilitation and Masters of Family Studies from the University of Kentucky. 

Kathy would eventually settle down in Bardstown, at 5120 Springfield Rd, which was about an hour away from where she grew up.

Kathy's passion was Special Education. In 2014, Kathy had been a Special Education Teacher for seven years at Bardstown Elementary School. She worked primarily with fifth graders but was known to help out however she could. She participated in many extracurricular events: such as volunteering and donating to the Special Olympics. The principal of Bardstown Elementary School, Paula Bowling recalled that "Kathy was an energetic teacher." and that "She put a lot of energy into helping her kids and was very passionate about what she did."

She was also a member of KEA and Parkway Baptist Church. She attended Parkway Baptist Church every Sunday along with her husband, Robert Netherland and their two daughters.

Robert Hayden Netherland, or Bob as he liked to be called, had a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Campbellsville University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Western KY. University and a master's in social work from the University of Kentucky. He was a social worker for many years working for private organizations and state agencies. He was a former employee of Wal-Mart working in the meat/dairy department. He was a member of Parkway Baptist Church, worked with Special Olympics of Kentucky for 26 years and was the Pentathlon Director and a former Deacon at Tatesbrook church in Lexington. 

Sadly, after 25 years of marriage, Bob passed away on Saturday, July 13th, 2013, at Flaget Memorial Hospital after a valiant battle with colon cancer. He was a loving father, husband, and friend.

Kathy's pride and joy were her kids.

Kathy and Robert's youngest daughter Samantha Grace, or Sammi as she liked to be called, was born on December 20th, 1997, in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky.

Sammi loved hanging out with friends, playing video games, and headbanging to 80's hair metal. According to her older sister, Sammi could identify each Def Leppard song from its opening guitar riffs.
Sammi also loved animals and spent many weekends volunteering at her local animal society. She dreamed of being a marine biologist and hoped to work at a place like the Newport Aquarium, which she had visited in 2013 and fell in love with.

Sammi was also passionate about school. In 2014, she was a Sophomore at Bardstown High School and was highly regarded as being one of the best students in her class. She was a member of the Academic Team, Honors Chorus, Women in Science, Adventure Club, in the Young Leaders Program and the district 2014 19 Governor's Cup Arts and Humanities Champion. She had been accepted into the Gatton Academy Program at Western KY. University. Her mom told a reporter with the Kentucky Standard that she was very excited for Sammi for being accepted into the Gatton Academy Program. And that "This was her goal and her dream and despite everything that has happened over the past year with the loss of her father, she did this on her own. I couldn't be prouder of her."

Sammi was excited about going to her first high school prom. She would send her older sister pictures of dresses asking for help picking out the right one. 

On April 19th, Kathy took Sammi dress shopping and finally found the one that she wanted. 

According to a Facebook post made by Kathy on April 20th, 2014 "Bob would love this dress. Blue was his favorite color. It's a midnight blue with sparkles. It really reminds me of a starry night. Sam looks beautiful in it."

Sadly, Sammi would not get to attend the prom the following weekend...

Tuesday, April 22nd, Kathy and Sammi failed to show up to school. When the two schools contacted each other, they realized something major was wrong. Sammi was a very punctual student and Kathy was never even late without a phone call. 

School officials began reaching out to Kathy and Sammi's family, eventually making contact with Kathy's father Norris, who then tried to reach the pair on their cell phones to no avail. He then began contacting other family members.

Kathy's eldest daughter was away at college when she got the phone call from her aunt saying that Kathy and Sammi were missing, and no one could seem to get a hold of them. Kathy's eldest daughter couldn't get a hold of them either, so Norris stopped by Kathy and Sammi's house. When he pulled up, he noticed that Kathy's car was still in the driveway and so he made the decision to go inside the house. When Norris stepped inside, he was met with a horrific scene. Kathy and Sammi been brutally murdered.  Kathy had been shot multiple times and Sammi had been bludgeoned in the head. Both had knife wounds to their necks. Norris stepped outside and called the police.

Kathy's sister arrived at the scene a short time later to find cop cars lining the streets, police tape wrapped around the entire house and her father in apparent distress. She then called Kathy's eldest daughter to relay the heartbreaking news. Kathy's eldest daughter was now an orphan. Upon hearing the news, she fell of her bed screaming and crying.

The funeral for Kathy and Sammi were held on April 28th, at Parkway Baptist Church. Sammi was in the dress she never got to wear to her prom. Two days later, they were laid to rest right next to Bob in the local Bardstown City Cemetery.

On May 2nd, a memorial was held, in which fellow staff members, students, colleagues and loved ones released purple balloons for Kathy and baby blue balloons for Sammi into the sky in tribute, while Sammi's favorite Def Leppard song played.

The investigation was overseen by the Kentucky State Police who believe that police believed that the murders had unfolded at around sunset on April 21st, which was around 8p.m. It was believed that the mother and daughter had been in separate rooms when they were murdered. Nothing of value seemed to be missing from the home and Kathy and Sammi seemed beloved by all. Investigators were stumped as to what the motive could be. Detectives also theorized that the crimes had unfolded over just ten or so minutes and had likely been planned it out ahead of time.

The sole piece of evidence is a black 2006 to 2013 Chevy Impala seen leaving the area at around the time investigators believe the murders took place. This vehicle was one of three caught by witnesses and security cameras heading north towards Bardstown from Kathy and Sammi's house. Police were not able to make out the vehicle's license plate, but they did state that it didn't appear to have a chrome strip or a rear spoiler and may had a small antenna mounted above the center of the rear windshield and that it didn't appear the windows were tinted.

Something bizarre happened at Kathy and Sammi's house on the New Year's Eve before their murder, which she detailed in a Facebook post:

"Earlier this afternoon we heard a noise. I thought one [of] our two cats had knocked over something. We didn't find anything disturbed so we thought it was nothing. Boy, were we wrong. A little while ago Holly opens our front door to go outside to pick up the mail and finds both glass panes in our screen door shattered. We have taken pics and I have carefully removed loose pieces of glass and the glass frames. All the shattered glass pieces have been swept up off the front porch. Guess I'll be heading to Lowes tomorrow to find replacements. Crazy how unexpected events happen."

In another post Kathy theorized a rogue gust of wind was behind this event, even though there were no reported gusts of wind on the day this incident was reported. In the Bardstown area the recorded wind patterns were actually well below the monthly average, making it a less windy day than normal. 

In an Oxygen docuseries called Bardstown: the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, reporter Stephanie Bauer spoke with an anonymous prison inmate who claimed that Kathy and Sammi were killed as part of a gang initiation, stating: 

"Well, I know they was tortured. I know that they were tied to their chairs. I know that one of 'em had her throat slit. They were stabbed, and one was shot. I know that trinkets were taken as trophies."

This anonymous inmate also claimed that a cellphone-jammer had been used to kill all the signal in the house and that their murders were a gang initiation.

In the docuseries, Kathy's eldest daughter said this about the chairs:

"I have been asked by the police about the relative location of chairs. This is one of those things that I'm not comfortable talking about. How they died is not one of the main things I want to think about."

She also stated that the cellphone jammer made sense because Kathy and Sammi had their cellphones with them at all times and neither had made a call for help.

Seven months after their deaths, the Kathy and Sammi's home was sold at an auction for $41,000. A new playground was also dedicated to Kathy the next year.

Kathy's eldest daughter put her entire inheritance towards the reward for information leading to resolving the murders. The reward is currently $50,000.

Anyone with information the case is asked to contact authorities at (270)-766-5078.

For updates to the case, you can go to Justice for Kathy And Samantha Facebook Page