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Lori Vallow, mother of two missing kids, set to be extradited back to Idaho

Leila Fujimori
DENNIS FUJIMOTO/THE GARDEN ISLAND VIA AP / FEB. 26
                                Lori Vallow appears in court in Lihue, Hawaii.
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DENNIS FUJIMOTO/THE GARDEN ISLAND VIA AP / FEB. 26

Lori Vallow appears in court in Lihue, Hawaii.

The 46-year-old mother of two missing children, last seen in September, will be extradited tonight from Kauai to Rexburg, Idaho.

Lori Vallow, also known as Lori Daybell, stood — arms crossed and legs shackled wearing orange jail garb and brown-rimmed glasses — this morning before Kauai Circuit Judge Kathleen Watanabe.

Kauai Prosecutor Justin Kollar told the court that a transport team from Idaho is on Kauai and prepared to extradite Vallow on a flight departing tonight. They will pick her up later today from the Kauai Community Correctional Center.

Vallow’s lawyer, Craig De Costa, said she’s invoking her fifth amendment rights to remain silent and not make any statements without an attorney present.

Watanabe said, “Once she’s picked up by the Idaho authorities, she is out of this court’s jurisdiction.”

She added: “I believe the County of Kauai, State of Hawaii, has acted expeditiously in assisting the state of Idaho in this extradition.

Vallow smiled briefly while speaking with her attorney after the hearing.

Authorities await Vallow’s arrival in Idaho where she will face charges of desertion, nonsupport of dependent children, resisting or obstructing officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court.

In addition to the missing children, Rexburg police are also investigating three suspicious deaths and an attempted murder that appear to point to Vallow and her current husband, Chad Daybell, who are allegedly tied to a “doomsday” cult.

The couple moved to Kauai shortly after Rexburg police arrived on their doorstep Nov. 26 asking about the children, Tylee Ryan, 17, and Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7.

Meanwhile Daybell, left Kauai Thursday and returned on Saturday to Rexburg, Idaho, according to news reports.

Although Daybell is a person of interest in the death of his former wife, Tammy, whose body was exhumed from her Idaho grave, Kauai police ceased their surveillance of him after his current wife was arrested.

Kauai Police Chief Todd Raybuck said on Friday that Rexburg police is leading the investigation and that they have not requested Kauai Police Department to take any action against Daybell.

He added Daybell has not committed any crimes on Kauai and is not under investigation there.

Daybell, whose wife, Tammy, died two weeks before he married Vallow on Nov. 5, has come under scrutiny by the Rexburg Police Department.

Although her body was exhumed from her Fremont County, Idaho, grave, the results are still pending. Daybell received $430,000 in life insurance proceeds.

Police are also looking into the deaths of Vallow’s former husband and brother. Charles Vallow, who was shot to death, purportedly in self-defense by her brother, who died of unknown causes.

Her niece’s ex-husband alleged that the niece knew the children’s whereabouts, which she denied, news reports said. Rexburg police said an attempt was made to take his life, which involved a vehicle connected to Lori Vallow.

Charles Vallow said in divorce documents his wife believed she was assigned to perform work at Christ’s second coming in July 2020.

Daybell wrote apocalyptic novels based loosely on theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

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