Autopsy for slain husband of Lori Vallow Daybell made public; death ruled a homicide

SALT LAKE CITY — The autopsy report for Charles Vallow — late husband of Lori Vallow Daybell – is now public and states the death was a homicide with multiple gunshot wounds.

Lori Vallow Daybell was previously indicted for the killing by a grand jury in Arizona in June.

The autopsy was recorded in July 2019 after the victim was shot and killed on July 11.

The autopsy details two gunshots that were claimed to be in self defense when the trigger was supposedly pulled by Alex Cox, Lori Vallow Daybell’s brother who later died, reported to be of natural causes.

One of the gunshot wounds was to the abdomen, entering on his left front and exiting on the left shoulder. The bullet’s path was right to left, front to back and upward, damaging tissue and breaking a rib.

The other gunshot was right to left, front to back and damaged the victim’s sternam, heart and his ninth vertebra. Perviously in probable cause documents, investigators expressed concern “about a potential bullet strike on the ground near Charles Vallow’s body.”

The autopsy also recorded “abrasions and contusions of the chest and extremities” that were apparently from a confrontation with Cox. “Multiple purple-red contusions are on the right chest and average up to 1/2 inch in greatest dimension.”

There were also multiple red abrasions on Charles Daybell’s left arm, right hand and knees, the report states.

“Based on the autopsy findings and all other investigative information received to date…it is my opinion that the decedent, a 62-year-old male, died of multiple gunshot wounds.”

The examination and document was prepared by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The victim told police: “She thinks she’s a resurrected being and a god. She threatened to murder me, kill me.”

Lori Vallow was found unfit to stand trial after a mental health evaluation in May.
During the original investigation into Charles Daybell’s death, police said detectives learned Lori and Charles Vallow were experiencing turmoil in their marriage.

As a result, Lori Vallow and her two children, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan moved to Arizona while Charles Vallow stayed in Texas. Lori Daybell, who married Chad Daybell weeks after his wife died, also faces felony charges in the death of her two children.

Detectives also said Lori Vallow had accused her husband of infidelity, which led to their separation, and she left JJ Vallow with Charles Vallow and disappeared for two months.

“It was also learned that Charles was concerned for Lori’s mental health as she had begun to express that she was selected to prepare 144,000 people for the end of the world,” police said in the probable cause statement. “Concerned for her well-being and that of the children, Charles filed a mental health petition asking for a mental health evaluation.”