Live Updates: Rexburg Police Detective Testimony Ends

Rexburg Police Det. Ray Hermosillo testified for roughly six hours Tuesday outlining the police department’s months-long role in the investigation of Lori Vallow Daybell’s two missing children.

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Authorities, including Hermosillo, located the remains of 7-year-old Joshua Jaxon “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan on husband Chad Daybell’s property on June 9, 2020.

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Hermosillo was the sole witness called by the prosecution Tuesday, and around 3 p.m., the defense began its cross-examination of Hermosillo. Vallow Daybell’s defense attorney John Thomas questioned Hermosillo for roughly 30 minutes before the jury was sent home for the day.

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“It has been a tough day,” Hermosillo responded.

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Hermosillo’s testimony wrapped up Wednesday morning after Vallow Daybell defense attorney John Thomas finished his cross-examination.

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An 18-person jury — 12 jurors and six alternates — will decide whether Vallow Daybell is guilty of the first-degree murders of her two children. Vallow Daybell is also charged with three counts of conspiring to commit murder in her children’s deaths and the death of Tammy Daybell. Vallow Daybell later married Tammy Daybell’s husband, Chad Daybell.

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Chad Daybell — whose trial date has not been set — is also charged with first-degree murder of Tammy Daybell and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the children’s deaths.

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The Daybells have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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Vallow Daybell also faces a charge of conspiring to commit first-degree murder in the death of her former husband, Charles Vallow, in Arizona.

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Check this story for live updates on Vallow Daybell’s trial.

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8:30 – “We followed every advice.”

Hermosillo said during Wednesday’s testimony that none of the hundreds of tips they received from the public helped authorities locate Tylee or JJ.

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This was in response to questions about whether police were really able to follow up on every tip they received about the children.

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“We followed up on every tip,” Hermosillo said. In response to a question from Thomas, he said that certain people didn’t respond when they called them back, so he wasn’t able to talk to every tipster.

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Hermosillo on Wednesday added that some of the tips were from psychics. He also said police didn’t find any evidence to show that JJ or Tylee were alive past September.

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Hermosillo also clarified details regarding the guns located in the Rexburg apartments. He said that while authorities now don’t believe any of the weapons they found were Vallow Daybell, he still thought they were “extremely suspicious.”

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He added that authorities seized the guns because the scene wasn’t secure, and the door to the apartment didn’t lock. Police broke the apartment door when they searched the home.

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Hermosillo said the investigation into the attempted shooting of Brandon Boudreaux also made the guns relevant. He also noted the attempted shooting of Tammy Daybell — which occurred 10 days before she was killed.

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East Idaho News reported that an unknown masked man shot at Tammy Daybell several times with a paintball gun and the gun may have been unloaded.

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Thomas asked Hermosillo if police ever found any bullets or bullet holes at Tammy Dayball’s residence when they investigated what police called attempted homicide. Hermosillo said he couldn’t comment because it was the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office investigation.