REXBURG, Idaho — The mother of two missing Idaho children has until Thursday to physically bring them to authorities. J.J. Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, haven’t been seen for four months.
If Lori Vallow fails to show Tylee and J.J., she will be held in contempt of court and may go to jail indefinitely.
In a rare move, a confidential court order was unsealed, requiring Lori to bring the children to police or to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare by January 30.
“It’s a total ‘Hail Mary’ by the folks in Idaho,” Salt Lake City criminal defense attorney Greg Skordas said.
In a statement, Rexburg Police say the move was to “alert the public and anyone with knowledge of the location or health and safety of the children.”
Skordas is not connected to the case but says the move also builds a case against the mother if she does not come forth with her children.
“I think that they are just frustrated. They have parents who are completely uncooperative, they have children who are missing. We don’t know if those children are alive, if they are healthy, whether they are even in the states of Idaho or Utah,” Skordas said.
The two children vanished in September. Nobody reported them missing for two months. Rexburg Police believe the children are in danger.
“I think the people of Idaho are fearful that something bad has happened to these children and they can’t just prosecute the mother based on what they have now, so they are trying to get more of a case, more information,” Skordas said.
Police confirm the missing children were not with the couple and there was no evidence they were ever in Hawaii with their mother.
