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FBI seeks photos, videos from Yellowstone National Park in connection to missing Idaho children

Posted at 12:43 PM, Mar 05, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-05 15:02:12-05

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — The FBI and the Rexburg Police Department in Idaho are asking for the public's help as they continue their search for the missing children of Lori Vallow.

Both agencies are asking visitors who were at Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019 to submit photos and videos to them.

Authorities are searching for 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old J.J. Vallow. The children, who have not been seen since September, lived with Lori Vallow in Rexburg, Idaho, prior to their disappearance.

An investigation has determined the children were in Yellowstone National Park on September 8 with Vallow and their uncle, Alex Cox, according to the FBI.

The group was said to be traveling in a 2017 silver Ford F-150 pickup, with Arizona license plate CPQUINT.

Authorities are asking for any photos or videos from the park on that date which may have captured images of the group and the vehicle. They can be sent to FBI.gov/Rexburg.

Vallow was charged with two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children in Idaho earlier this year in connection with Tylee and JJ's disappearances. She was arrested on those charges in Hawaii on Feb. 21 and has been in custody there on a $5 million bond ever since. She was expected to be extradited back to Idaho some time this week.

Though Tylee and JJ have not been seen since September, they were not reported missing until November, when police conducted a welfare check on JJ. At the time, Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, told police that JJ was staying with a family friend in Arizona. By the time police had returned the next day after not finding JJ at the friend's home, Daybell and Vallow had left for Hawaii.

Vallow is scheduled to have her initial court appearance on Friday in Rexburg to face charges of desertion, obstruction, and contempt of court.

Court filings show Vallow hired three lawyers out of Boise, Idaho. Vallow's lawyers are expected to ask for a bond reduction on Friday.

The public is asked to continue reporting tips in this case to the Rexburg Police Department at (208) 359-3000 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-8435678 (1-800-THE-LOST).