Preparing a People: Lori Vallow Daybell’s doomsday “cult”
When Lori Vallow-Daybell’s children were found dead in her backyard, the world wondered why. Why would any mother lie to police to cover up her kids’ disappearance? Why would she flee to Hawaii with her new husband and live as if they never existed?
When Lori Vallow-Daybell’s children’s remains were found in bags, her behavior was suspect enough that people believed she killed her own kids. Or at least, someone killed them, Lori Vallow-Daybell knew about it, and she let it happen.
Some people believe Lori Vallow-Daybell’s new husband, Chad Daybell, killed them. Daybell believes in prophecy and demonic possession, and a friend told police that Chad Daybell believed Lori Vallow-Daybell’s son, JJ, was possessed by a demon. Given Chad and Lori Daybell’s ties to an apocalyptic group, people think they were in a cult.
Is Preparing a People a cult?
Did Lori Vallow-Daybell kill her children or let them die because she was in a cult? Cults, psychologically, are defined as a group of people who are exploited, abused, or brainwashed by a charismatic leader. The Manson Family and Jim Jones’ People’s Temple are famous examples.
Preparing a People is a website that Lori Vallow-Daybell and Chad Daybell participated in. With their apocalyptic, doomsday beliefs, they mirror other notorious groups who believed in doomsday like the Branch Davidians, made famous by the Waco standoff. claims to be a part of the Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Preparing a People claims to be a part of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. The LDS Church itself has distanced itself from Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow-Daybell. Preparing a People released a statement, denying involvement with “any nefarious, criminal, illegal, or occult activities.”
What is Preparing a People?
Preparing a People is a group of webinars and information about preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ. According to The Bible, the days before Jesus comes back are going to be hard. Christians like Lori Vallow-Daybell believe the end times are close and expect widespread wars, famines, plagues, natural disasters, and tyranny.
To get Christians like Lori Vallow-Daybell ready, websites like Preparing a People provide information on canning & storing food, gardening, and even on purchasing & storing firearms. They claim they’re not a group, let alone a cult, and merely provide educational videos to viewers.
Could Chad Daybell be a cult leader?
While Preparing a People denies being a cult or even a group, what about Chad Daybell? Daybell claims to have visions and says his gift of prophecy allowed him to see his first wife’s death. He wrote over twenty-five books, fiction & nonfiction, outlining his doomsday beliefs.
It’s possible that he roped Lori Vallow-Daybell into his circle like a cult leader recruits followers. Chad Daybell was an influential presence in the Preparing a People circle, speaking at lectures. He and Lori Vallow-Daybell even appeared on a podcast to discuss Chad Daybell’s visions.
Relatives raised concerns
Lori Daybell-Vallow’s family grew concerned that she was involving herself in a “cult.” They claim it ended her first marriage to Charles Vallow. Charles Vallow claimed in his divorce filing that Lori Vallow-Daybell believed that doomsday was coming, and her mental and emotional health was deteriorating.
While Lori Daybell-Vallow’s family never mentioned Preparing a People by name, Vallow-Daybell’s behavior (isolation, worsening health) was in line with cult members entrenching themselves in their new group. The beliefs she espoused also mirrored Preparing a People and Chad Daybell’s doomsday beliefs.
Website is down
When we looked at the websites, it appeared that Preparing a People’s website no longer existed. Color My Media, now called Latter-Day Media, required a password to get in. We’re not sure if this is because these groups received threats about the Lori Vallow-Daybell case, or if they don’t want more scrutiny.
