Lori Vallow Daybell

Lori Vallow Daybell was once described by friends as a devoted mother, active church member, and vibrant social presence. That image shattered when investigators discovered she had murdered her own two children - 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old JJ Vallow - in service of a twisted apocalyptic ideology she developed with her fifth husband, author and self-proclaimed prophet Chad Daybell. The unraveling began in September 2019 when Lori's estranged husband Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Lori's brother Alex Cox, who claimed self-defense. Weeks later, Lori's children disappeared. When concerned family members contacted police, Lori and Chad - who had married just two weeks after Chad's first wife Tammy died under suspicious circumstances - fled to Hawaii. The couple's beliefs centered on a system of rating people as "light" or "dark" spirits. Those deemed dark were labeled as "zombies" whose bodies had been taken over by evil entities. Both Tylee and JJ had been classified as zombies by Lori and Chad - a designation that apparently justified their murders in the couple's warped theology. In June 2020, the children's remains were discovered buried on Chad Daybell's property in Rexburg, Idaho. Tylee's body had been dismembered and burned. JJ had been wrapped in plastic and duct tape. The discovery prompted first-degree murder charges against both Lori and Chad. Lori was convicted in May 2023 on all counts including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and grand theft. She received multiple consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Chad Daybell was separately tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the murders.

Vallow Daybell demonstrates how ESFJ cognitive functions can be catastrophically corrupted by religious extremism and narcissistic delusion: **Dominant Fe (Extraverted Feeling):** Lori's Fe was her most powerful tool and her most dangerous trait. She excelled at creating emotional connections, building community standing, and reading social dynamics. She used this ability to charm everyone around her - friends described her as magnetic and warm. But her Fe became corrupted into a tool for manipulation, allowing her to maintain a facade of devoted motherhood while planning her children's murders. **Auxiliary Si (Introverted Sensing):** Her Si anchored her in familiar religious frameworks, but became distorted through exposure to Chad Daybell's heterodox teachings. Rather than questioning new doctrines, her Si absorbed them as extensions of her existing LDS faith. She built detailed internal catalogs of who was "light" and who was "dark," applying rigid categorizations with life-or-death consequences. **Tertiary Ne (Extraverted Intuition):** Lori's Ne manifested in her embrace of apocalyptic possibilities and supernatural narratives. She became convinced she had been a historical figure in past lives and that she had a divine mission in the coming end times. This immature Ne latched onto fantastical explanations rather than grounding her in reality. **Inferior Ti (Introverted Thinking):** Her inferior Ti meant she lacked the critical analytical capacity to question the internal logic of her beliefs. She never examined whether labeling her own children as "zombies" was rationally coherent. Instead, she accepted emotional and social validation from Chad as sufficient proof of their shared delusions.