Officials Ignored Concerns About Lori Vallow Months Before Children's Disappearance: Report

Reports raising concerns about safety of the children of Lori Vallow Daybell—the Idaho mother accused of murdering her two kids—made to the Arizona Department of Child Safety months before their disappearance were never investigated.

The first report was made in February 2019 after their father, Charles Vallow said Lori Vallow's religious beliefs had turned radical and that he feared for both his own and his children's safety, KPNX- a Phoenix-based television news station, reported.

Charles Vallow shared the concerns with L.I.F.E. Academy, where their 7-year-old son Joshua "J.J." Vallow attended. The school went on to report the concerns "to ensure we were doing our due diligence in protecting J.J.," KPNX reported.

Emails from December 2019 show DCS received another report regarding the family, but neither was investigated because there was no showing of abuse or neglect, a DCS spokesperson told KPNX.

The department declined to elaborate on why that conclusion was reached.

Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell were indicted on murder charges in May by a grand jury in Idaho for the deaths of J.J. and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan

If convicted, they could face either the death penalty or life in prison.

Lori Vallow Daybell was ordered by a judge in June to be sent to a mental health facility before a decision was made on whether she is mentally fit to stand trial, while Chad Daybell—who has written several doomsday-themed novels—pleaded not guilty to nine charges including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, grand theft by deception, grand theft and insurance fraud.

Prosecutors claimed the couple espoused and taught religious beliefs with the purpose of justifying the kids' deaths. Vallow and Daybell are reportedly members of a group called Preparing a People, which describes itself as an organization with a mission to "prepare the people of this earth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ." The group has since distanced itself from the couple.

Some people, including Charles Vallow, who was killed by Lori Vallow's brother Alex Cox in July 2019, have accused the group of being a cult that teaches the end of the world is coming.

Their children were last seen in September 2019. Authorities began looking for them in November 2019 after relatives reported they had not spoken to J.J. in months. Vallow told authorities he was visiting other relatives in Arizona.

Vallow was arrested in February 2020 in Kauai, Hawaii after missing court dates and failing to turn the children over to authorities. The children's remains were found in June 2020.

Newsweek reached out to the Arizona DCS for comment Tuesday afternoon but had not heard back by publication. This story will be updated with any response.