EastIdahoNews: Daybells served with search warrants in Hawaii

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KAUAI, Hawaii — Chad and Lori Daybell did not have much to say when approached by EastIdahoNews.com Sunday afternoon in Hawaii after they were served with two search warrants.

The couple was pulled over by Kauai Police officers around 3:30 p.m. local time as they were driving a black Ford Explorer along the Kuhio Highway. They entered the parking lot of Kauai Beach Resort, and police served them with a search warrant for their vehicle.

Federal and eastern Idaho law enforcement officers assisted, and EastIdahoNews.com was on the scene as Lori Daybell was put into one police SUV and Chad Daybell waited in another. After 30 minutes, a tow truck came and took the SUV. Police then went to the Daybells’ townhome in Princeville, Hawaii and executed a search warrant on the property.

The Daybells have been living inside a gated community in Hawaii for several months, according to law enforcement. Lori’s children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, have been missing since the end of September. Police say the Daybells refuse to tell them where the children are and have lied to investigators about their location. Police are also investigating the deaths of their former spouses.

The Daybells were not arrested Sunday and have not been criminally charged. Police declined to say what they are searching for and if any evidence was found, but Lori Daybell gathered belongings from her vehicle, including a large amount of cash in a plastic bag.

EastIdahoNews.com approached Chad and Lori in the parking lot of the resort after police finished their on-scene work Sunday. We asked several questions, and Lori only responded to one.

When told people in eastern Idaho and across the country are praying for her missing children, she said, “That’s great.”

Law enforcement declined to provide any details about Sunday’s operation, but the Madison County prosecutor is expected to release more information Monday about what’s next in the case.

EastIdahoNews.com will remain in Hawaii and provide additional reports throughout the week.