Mom's Descent: Cult Beliefs, Missing Kids, and Grim Discoveries

Summary

A former beauty queen, Lori Vallow, spiraled into a disturbing belief system, convinced she was a god preparing for Christ's second coming, a conviction that led to threats against her husband, Charles Vallow. Charles, concerned for his children JJ and Tylee, was eventually shot and killed at Lori's home by her brother, Alex Cox, in an incident ruled self-defense. Following Charles's death, Lori moved with the children to Idaho, near Chad Daybell, a cult leader who espoused theories of zombies and evil spirits. Melanie, Lori's friend, revealed Lori believed Charles was possessed by an evil spirit and later that her children had also been corrupted and turned into zombies. Despite mounting evidence and police concerns, Lori and Chad remained uncooperative. Months later, a search of Chad Daybell's property uncovered the dismembered and burned remains of Tylee Ryan and the duct-taped body of JJ Vallow.