Charges: Chad Daybell Hid 2 Sets of Human Remains

Prosecutors charged an Idaho man Wednesday with destroying or concealing two sets of human remains after police said they uncovered bodies at his home while searching for evidence in the case of his wife's two missing children, reports the AP. The remains, found at Chad Daybell's rural Idaho property Tuesday, have not yet been identified. But the finding marked a gruesome turn in an investigation that has drawn global attention for its ties to two other mysterious deaths and the couple's doomsday beliefs. In court documents, Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Wood said he believes Daybell—who reportedly worked as a gravedigger while attending college in Utah—concealed the remains knowing that they were about to be used as evidence in a felony court proceeding.

Per a criminal complaint obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, Daybell was charged with two felony counts: The first count alleges Daybell hid, altered, or destroyed human remains on his property between Sept. 8, 2019, and June 9, 2020; the second alleges the same, with the dates given as between Sept. 22, 2019, and June 9, 2020. Daybell married Lori Vallow Daybell a few weeks after authorities say her children were last seen on those dates in September. Police began searching for then-7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan in November after relatives alerted them to their concerns. Police in the small town of Rexburg say Chad and Lori Daybell lied to investigators about the children’s whereabouts before quietly leaving Idaho. They were found in Hawaii months later.