DAYBELL TRIAL: Tammy's co-workers testify, DNA evidence released

BOISE — Day 20 of the Chad Daybell trial brought heavy emotions and some tears to the witness stand. 

Tammy Daybell's co-workers testified about her appearance and attitude days before her death and DNA evidence uncovered in Daybell's shed were revealed in court on Thursday.

Daybell is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree murder, insurance fraud and grand theft in connection to the deaths of 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, 7-year-old J.J. Vallow and Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell. Daybell’s current wife, Lori Vallow, was charged with the same crimes last year and was found guilty on all counts. Daybell faces the death penalty if he’s convicted.

J.J. was last seen alive on Sept. 22, 2019 and his sister Tylee was last seen alive on Sept. 8, 2019. Tammy Daybell died on Oct. 19, 2019. Vallow and Daybell were married shortly after, on Nov. 5, 2019. J.J. and Tylee’s remains were discovered in Daybell’s backyard when it was searched on June 9 and 10, 2020.

TAMMY'S CO-WORKERS TAKE THE STAND

Tammy worked at Central Elementary in Sugar City, Idaho, filling a number of roles during her time there. She and Pamela Peebles, a teacher at Central, did recess duty together every week. 

“She knew each child by name, she loved the children and they loved her very much,” Peebles said, tearing up during her testimony. "She was a good friend as well as a coworker."

Days before Tammy's death, Peebles recalls talking with Tammy about her health and weight loss. At the time, Tammy was training for a race and said she felt she was in the best health of her life, Peebles said. This is in direct contrast to what Daybell had told his sister-in-law Heather, who testified on  May 2.

According to Heather, who asked how Tammy had died in November 2019, Chad Daybell had said his wife died of a pulmonary embolism because she had recently gained 40 pounds. Heather found his statement odd because Chad had previously said Tammy had died after a coughing fit.

Peebles was not the only co-worker who was shocked by Tammy's passing. 

Janet Anderson, who was the secretary at Central in 2019, saw Tammy several times a day. 

"I thought, 'how could this be?'" Anderson said. "She was happy, she was healthy."

Tammy was never sick or had a cough or sniffle while working at the school, Anderson said. 

"I was shocked," Tammy Gee, a teacher at Central, said during testimony. "I didn't see any indication that she was sick." 

Gee described Tammy as energetic, friendly and kind. Each of Tammy's co-workers who testified interacted with Tammy days before her passing. None of them saw any indication of Tammy falling ill. 

THE RACCOON TEXT

Benjamin Dean, an intelligence analyst for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reviewed tips sent in by the public, which came as a response to the FBI and Rexburg Police Department's press release regarding J.J. and Tylee. The release was sent out on March 5, 2020, when Tylee and J.J. were still missing. The FBI received hundreds of tips, many with photos or videos.

Dean also reviewed text messages between Chad and Tammy. One message, sent from Chad to Tammy on Sept. 9, 2019 at 10:56 a.m., stood out to Dean.

"Well, I’ve had an interesting morning! I felt I should burn all of the limb debris by the fire pit before it got too soaked by the coming storms," the message from Chad to Tammy reads. "While I did so, I spotted a big raccoon along the fence. I hurried and got my gun, and he was still walking along. I got close enough that one shot did the trick. He is now in our pet cemetery. Fun times!"

The message was sent the day after Tylee was last seen alive, a date that caught Dean's attention. This message was also one of the most lengthy and detailed messages between Chad and Tammy, who typically sent shorter texts dealing with everyday matters, Dean said.

Tylee's remains were found charred, buried in Daybell's pet cemetery. 

DNA EVIDENCE

Katherine Dace, a forensic biologist and supervisor with Idaho State Police, took the stand on Thursday morning to discuss various DNA profiles she came across in this case. Dace examined several pieces of evidence and generated several DNA profiles from the items. DNA profiles were provided for Melanie Gibb, Lori Vallow and Tylee. Gibb was one of Vallow's close friends.

Dace received autopsy samples from the tape around J.J.'s hands, mouth and ankles. She also received DNA samples from tools inside Daybell's shed, where shovels with small amounts of blood were found.

Blood was on the tape and plastic that was buried with J.J. and DNA testing was not done on the blood because it was presumed to be J.J.'s, Dace said, however, she did test some of the tape on J.J., which had small hairs and skin attached to it. 

Hair on the tape on the bag J.J. was buried in matched Vallow's DNA. 

Dace received 18 tools from Daybell's shed. Human remains were found on some of the shovels in the shed, which Dace tested, but was not able to generate a DNA profile from the remains.

A green substance was found on a shovel, which matched Tylee's DNA profile.

There was also a pickaxe which tested positive for blood and human remains were embedded in the eye of the pickaxe. After testing, the human remains matched the DNA profile of Tylee.

A dark material was also removed from the eye of the pickaxe, which Dace analyzed and found it could be Tylee's DNA — it was 159 trillion times more likely to be Tylee vs. someone from the general population, Dace said. The molars of found at Tylee's burial site were also tested and matched her DNA. 

KAUAI

Colin Nesbitt was a detective for Kauai Police Department in Hawaii in 2020 and served Vallow with documents ordering her to bring J.J. and Tylee to the Idaho Department of Health on Jan. 25, 2020.

Nesbitt testified about serving Vallow those documents and also seized a rental vehicle from Daybell and Vallow in Hawaii, where he found a debit card with Tylee's name on it, Apple laptops, iPads (one with J.J. written in red on the back), 17 copies of the death certificate of Charles Vallow's — Lori Vallow's previous husband — an envelope with $10,500 cash, real estate papers for the condo Vallow and Daybell were staying in and birth certificates and social security cards for both J.J. and Tylee.

The car also had a letter from Daybell to Alex Cox, Vallow's brother, in it, which referred to Daybell as a patriarch, someone who gives special blessings to people in the LDS church. 

The Daybell trial is anticipated to last eight to 10 weeks. Court will continue at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, May 10.