Chad Daybell arrested after human remains found on property, police say

REXBURG, Idaho – Chad Daybell has been arrested and booked into jail on a felony charge after human remains were found on his property, Idaho police said.

Officials with the Rexburg Police Department announced they served a search warrant at Daybell’s four-acre property on Tuesday.

Daybell was taken into custody just after noon. Rexburg authorities held a brief press conference shortly thereafter where they announced human remains were discovered on his property.

“During the search of the property, investigators discovered what appeared to be unidentified human remains and an autopsy will be conducted,” said RPD Assistant Chief Gary Hagen. “Shortly after the remains were discovered, Chad Daybell was taken into custody.”

Hagen also did not specify if the remains belonged to one person or multiple people, adding officials would provide additional updates later.

Daybell was arrested and booked into the Fremont County Jail on what officials with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office called “a felony charge with no bond.”

They said additional details would be provided Wednesday.

Kay and Larry Woodcock, JJ Vallow’s biological grandparents, issued the following statement Tuesday night:

#Breaking: Fremont County Sheriff’s Office tells me: “#ChadDaybell is in custody on a felony charge with no bond. Further updates will be provided tomorrow.” @KSL5TV

— Garna Mejia (@GarnaMejiaKSL) June 10, 2020

Daybell’s wife, Lori Vallow, is currently in custody in Madison County, Idaho, on charges relating to the disappearance of her two children, Tylee Ryan, 17, and JJ Vallow, 7. Her bail is currently set at $1 million.

Officials said Daybell’s initial hearing will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. It will be a closed hearing.

The RPD was assisted by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and 20 FBI agents while serving the search warrant, according to police.

The search warrant is in reference to the missing children case, Hagen wrote. It is a sealed warrant, though, so details are “not available to news media outlets or the public” and are “only for the purview of law enforcement working on this case.”

Aerial footage taken by East Idaho News appeared to show authorities digging in the yard outside the house, and there were what looked like holes covered with tarps.

Several backhoes were also spotted at the residence, East Idaho News reports.

Authorities in January removed 43 items from the house during a raid.

KSL spoke with criminal defense attorney Josh Garner, who could be called to assist in Daybell’s case Wednesday. He said the presiding judge will likely be Judge Faren Eddins, who was recused from Lori Vallow’s case because he was already presiding over the child custody case involving JJ Vallow.

Garner said he expects Daybell will hire a new attorney, as there could be a conflict of interest with Lori Vallow’s case.

The children were last seen in September 2019, but they weren’t reported missing until the following November.

“We publicly call on Lori Vallow/Chad Daybell to do the right thin and come forward with the information they have about the location and welfare of Joshua and Tylee,” Rexburg police wrote in a statement in Dec. 2019. “This entire investigation could have been avoided if Lori and Chad had simply been honest with law enforcement.”

Since the children went missing, a handful of mysterious circumstances surrounding the Daybells have surfaced in the media, including the death of Chad Daybell’s former wife, Tammy Daybell, and the death of Lori Vallow’s former husband, Charles Vallow.

Brittany Chapple was driving when she saw Chad Daybell get arrested. Here's some of the video she sent me. pic.twitter.com/pZHSvhqr9I

— Nate Eaton (@NateNewsNow) June 9, 2020

Charles Vallow died in July 2019, and Tammy Daybell died in October 2019.

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell have also been accused of having cult connections.

Click here for full coverage on Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell.