What’s the story with Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow’s cult?

Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow are in jail awaiting trial for charges related to the deaths of Vallow’s children, Tylee Ryan, 17, and JJ Vallow, 8. Vallow’s children’s remains were found on her husband’s, Chad Daybell, property after a search warrant was carried out by authorities, who looked for the children since the previous fall. 

Chad Daybell is known for his doomsday science-fiction books and his real-life doomsday prophecies. Daybell and Lori Vallow believed that Christians needed to prepare for a tribulation period before the second coming of Christ. Preparing included stocking food & water and amassing weapons to fight Satan’s army. 

Chad Daybell & Lori Vallow weren’t alone in their beliefs. They belonged to a group called AVOW, Another Voice of Warning, based in Idaho. The Southern Poverty Law Center placed this group on its list of anti-government extremist organizations. What could that mean about the Daybell case?

What does AVOW believe? 

AVOW, or Another Voice of Warning’s catchphrase is “if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” Claiming to be a subset from the Church of Latter-Day Saints, AVOW offers its followers a preparedness site that goes beyond simple tips. 

AVOW believes that the end times are fast approaching and will be here in half a century, tops. They believe end times are being prophesied in dreams & visions like the ones Chad Daybell claimed to have. AVOW says the world will change radically, and all Christians should be prepared for troubling days. 

One of the visions Chad Daybell had, according to friends, is that Lori Vallow’s youngest son, JJ, was possessed by a demon. Sources speculate that JJ was killed by Vallow & Daybell for that reason, though forensics hasn’t linked JJ’s death to deliberate murder. 

How did they get on the SPLC extremist list? 

The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks hate groups & extremist organizations across the U.S. Famously, they track the growth & influence of the KKK and neo-Nazi activity. However, they also track the movements of other extremist organizations like anti-government groups like the one Chad Daybell & Lori Vallow were in.

The SPLC defines an anti-government extremist groups as “opposed to the “New World Order,” engage in groundless conspiracy theorizing, or advocate or adhere to extreme anti-government doctrines.”  

While most of the groups listed by the SPLC as anti-government were militias, there is also a mixture of “common law courts,” publishers, ministries, and citizen’s groups. 

Does this mean AVOW is a hate group? 

Per the SPLC, “Listing here does not imply that the groups themselves advocate or engage in violence or other criminal activities or are racist.” An anti-government group merely believes that the government is “out to get them” or starting trouble based on conspiracy theories. 

The SPLC gathers its information from local authorities, field reports, and news sources, and breaks it down by state. Groups like Chad Daybell & Lori Vallow’s AVOW are actually decreasing in number, with under 600 still in operation. 

Chad Daybell & Lori Vallow had ties to AVOW’s leader

Aside from being an author, Chad Daybell was a speaker at events for groups like AVOW. He was apparently close to AVOW’s current leader, Christopher Parrett. Parrett is also the only person to publicly proclaim that he knew the “real story” about what happened to Lori Vallow’s children. 

However, two months ago, Christopher Parrett changed his tune. Per a Fox13 report, Parrett originally stood up for the couple, claiming to have had a phone conversation with the couple clearing everything up. He was vague about details, only giving a clue about “nasty, ugly custody case . . . being driven by grandma.”

When interviewed in June, Parrett no longer defended Chad Daybell & Lori Vallow, claiming “obviously, Chad lied to us.” He had nothing else to say about the ongoing investigation.

Chad Daybell went to AVOW’s forum for legal advice

A screenshot from InsideEdition.com shows Chad Daybell seeking legal advice about Lori Vallow’s missing kids on an AVOW forum. He claimed he was in “a legal mess” and that he would return. On closer inspection, he meant he would return to the forum when “his legal troubles” were over. The post was made by someone else on Daybell’s behalf.