New evidence in Chad Daybell trial includes necklace found on Daybell property, Google searches

BOISE — Testimony in the murder trial of Chad Daybell revealed several pieces of evidence that were not previously shared with the public including Google searches and a necklace found on the Daybell property.

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Sgt. David Stubbs, a formerly a detective with Rexburg Police Department, now retired, took the stand and described serving multiple search warrants at apartments and on devices. Police searched Lori Vallow Daybell’s apartment on Nov. 27, 2019. 

A few rooms, with the master bedroom in particular, were empty of clothes and personal items.

“It made me think that the occupant, because of our visit the day before, left in haste,” Stubbs said.

In all, over 20 search warrants were performed, including warrants specific to entering private devices. Stubbs described multiple searches that stood out to him.

Searches on devices

Aug. 25, 2019: A search was made for wedding rings, silver with green malachite through them.

Aug. 23, 2019: An account user looked up the meaning of “possessed.”

Sept. 8, 2019: A user on Chad Daybell’s Google account searched what the wind would be the following day.

Stubbs said this search stood out “because we believe on the ninth, was the day that Tylee was burned and buried in the firepit behind Chad’s house.”

Sept. 30, 2019: A search was made for “how to remove the backseat of a Jeep Wrangler. Stubbs said the user watched the video on how to do it.

Stubbs described finding a flash drive with photos of Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell’s wedding in Hawaii, Stubbs explained they used forensic software on the device to see if anything had been deleted.

The deleted materials all seemed to be of the same thing: “It appeared to be photos of Chad, Tammy, their kids,” Stubbs said.

Discovery of remains

FBI Special Agent Steve Daniels was called to the stand as an expert in human remains recovery sites with over 26 years of experience working for the FBI. He was the team leader for the June 2020 search of the Daybell property when they recovered the remains of Tylee and JJ.

“We had a few telephone pings on the property … that gave us a few indicators that these persons of interest were in certain areas of the property,” Daniels said.

He said investigators began at the fire pit and went through the area layer by layer, using sifters. During this process, a silver charm was discovered, and later a chain along with other bone and fabric fragments.

Both the chain and charm were brought into the courtroom for the jury to see.

Daniels pointed out that the charm said “Pura Vida.” A photo of Tylee Ryan was shown on the screen. In the image, she is wearing a silver necklace with a charm. Daniels said it appears to be the jewelry recovered on Chad Daybell’s property.

The testimony that followed described in disturbing detail the process of uncovering the human remains on June 9, 2020.

Several people in the courtroom began to cry at the descriptions. Images of the remains were shown to the jury but not to the public because of the graphic nature.

Jury hears of disturbing moment police discovered Tylee and JJ’s remains

Tylee’s charred and dismembered remains were found just north of the pet cemetery area. JJ’s body was found under a tree close to the edge of the property.

Daniels said investigators searched for tools in the barn that “could bury somebody.”

Among the tools they discovered, a close-up photo of a pickaxe was shown.

“Debris you can see on the blade of that pick,” Daniels said. Some of the tools were brought into the courtroom as evidence.

Chad Daybell is charged with the first-degree murder of his first wife of 29 years, Tammy Douglas Daybell, and, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, children of Lori Vallow Daybell.

Chad Daybell is married to Lori Vallow Daybell, who was convicted of six felonies last summer involving the deaths of her two children and conspiring to murder Chad Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell.