Colby Ryan is the eldest and only surviving child of Lori Vallow Daybell, the Idaho “doomsday mom” convicted of murdering two of her children. Born April 8, 1996, he lost his half-sister Tylee Ryan, his adopted brother Joshua “JJ” Vallow, and his stepfather Charles Vallow to a conspiracy carried out by his mother, her fifth husband Chad Daybell, and her brother Alex Cox. He testified at both Lori’s and Chad’s murder trials, and in 2022 he was briefly arrested on sexual assault charges in Arizona that were dismissed without prejudice within a week.
Who He Is and His Place in the Family
Ryan was born in Travis County, Texas, to Lori Norene Cox and her second husband, William Lagioia.1Newsweek. Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow Son, Arrest Sexual Assault Charge His parents divorced in February 1998, and Lori then married Joseph Anthony Ryan Jr., whose surname Colby took. Ryan has publicly alleged that Joseph was physically and sexually abusive during his childhood, though those claims were never proven in court.2People. Where Is Colby Ryan Now Joseph Ryan died alone in his Arizona apartment in April 2018, with his death officially ruled a heart attack.3KTVB. Joseph Ryan Death Investigation
Lori’s fourth husband, Charles Vallow, became the closest thing Colby had to a stable parent. Ryan has described Charles as his “ultimate father figure.”1Newsweek. Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow Son, Arrest Sexual Assault Charge At Lori’s trial, he testified that he had a good relationship with Charles and with his younger siblings Tylee and JJ.4ABC4. Colby Ryan Testimony Day 11 of Vallow Daybell Murder Trial
The Family Members He Lost
Beginning in 2019, Lori and Chad Daybell shared apocalyptic beliefs that prosecutors said led them to label people around them as “zombies” or “dark spirits” who needed to be eliminated.
Charles Vallow was shot and killed on July 11, 2019, by Alex Cox at a home in Chandler, Arizona. Cox claimed self-defense, but investigators found evidence Charles was shot while lying on the ground.5Fox 10 Phoenix. Charles Vallow Death Ruled a Homicide Prosecutors later alleged the killing was planned by Lori and Chad, motivated in part by a $1 million life insurance policy on Charles.6PBS NewsHour. Lori Vallow Daybell Receives Life Sentences in Arizona
Tylee Ryan, 16, was last seen on September 8, 2019. JJ Vallow, 7, was last seen on September 22, 2019. Their remains were found buried on Chad Daybell’s rural Idaho property on June 9, 2020. JJ had been bound and wrapped in plastic; Tylee’s remains had been dismembered and burned.7A&E. Lori Vallow Daybell Case Overview
Lori Vallow Daybell was convicted in Idaho in May 2023 of murder, conspiracy, and grand theft and sentenced to life without parole.8CBS News. Lori Vallow Chad Daybell Case Timeline In April 2025, an Arizona jury also convicted her of conspiring to murder Charles Vallow and to kill Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of Lori’s niece; she received additional consecutive life sentences on July 25, 2025.6PBS NewsHour. Lori Vallow Daybell Receives Life Sentences in Arizona Chad Daybell was convicted on May 30, 2024, of three counts of first-degree murder along with conspiracy and insurance fraud, and was sentenced to death on June 1, 2024.
What He Knew Before the Bodies Were Found
Colby stayed in Arizona when Lori moved the family to Rexburg, Idaho, without telling him where they were going. The last time he saw Tylee and JJ was August 30, 2019, in a Mesa parking lot. He testified that Tylee was crying and that Lori would only say they were moving.9East Idaho News. Chad Daybell Trial Day 8 Live Updates
In the weeks that followed, he received text messages from Tylee’s phone that did not sound like her. On September 8, the day Tylee was last seen alive, he asked her for money through Venmo; the reply said Lori was now handling her finances. After Charles Vallow’s death, Lori had told Colby that Tylee’s Social Security money would become “everybody’s money.”4ABC4. Colby Ryan Testimony Day 11 of Vallow Daybell Murder Trial
On November 27, 2019, Gilbert police contacted Ryan about the children. He told them he did not know where his siblings were and that his mother was not cooperating with law enforcement. He tried to call Lori on Thanksgiving. Her phone was off.10Fox 10 Phoenix. Colby Ryan Takes Stand at Trial for Siblings’ Murders
The Recorded Jail Call With His Mother
After the children’s remains were found, Colby confronted Lori in a recorded jail call that was later played at trial. “Probably because you murdered my siblings! Maybe you should understand,” he told her. Lori insisted she was not hiding and that the children were “fine,” saying, “They love me and they are fine,” and framed her actions as “God’s will.” Colby answered, “I don’t know a murderous mother,” and accused her of “following Chad down the rabbit hole.”4ABC4. Colby Ryan Testimony Day 11 of Vallow Daybell Murder Trial
His Testimony at Both Trials
Ryan testified at Lori’s Idaho murder trial in April 2023, telling the court that his mother had protected him for much of his life but changed after meeting Chad Daybell.2People. Where Is Colby Ryan Now He described her as someone who avoided confrontation but frequently lied.9East Idaho News. Chad Daybell Trial Day 8 Live Updates He said Lori had not involved him in her beliefs about zombies, multiple lives, or “casting out spirits.”4ABC4. Colby Ryan Testimony Day 11 of Vallow Daybell Murder Trial
At Lori’s sentencing on July 31, 2023, the prosecutor read Colby’s victim impact statement. “I’ve lost my entire family in life,” it read. “I lost the opportunity to share life with the people I love the most. I’ve watched everything crumble and be shredded to pieces. I have lost my sister, brother, father, and my mother.”11ABC4. Vallow Daybell Victims Make Impact Statements Before Life Sentences
He returned to the stand at Chad Daybell’s trial on April 22, 2024. Reporters described him as visibly emotional when shown photos of Tylee and JJ, while Chad avoided looking at him and focused on his attorneys.9East Idaho News. Chad Daybell Trial Day 8 Live Updates
His 2022 Arrest and the Dismissed Charges
On September 3, 2022, Ryan was arrested in Mesa, Arizona, on two counts of sexual assault involving his estranged wife. According to a probable cause statement, the couple had been living separately for about a month when Ryan visited her home on August 31, 2022, to watch television. Court documents said the two engaged in consensual kissing before the woman told Ryan to stop multiple times; she alleged that he ignored her requests, touched her sexually, and raped her.12CBS News. Colby Jordan Ryan Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges
The following morning, investigators said, the woman recorded a conversation in which Ryan agreed that he had “raped” her. Detectives reported that Ryan also made verbal admissions during a police interview after being read his Miranda rights.13AZFamily. Son of Lori Vallow Arrested on Sexual Assault Charge
The charges were dismissed without prejudice on September 9, 2022, less than a week after the arrest. A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said the dismissal was made to “allow the office to file charges in the future” and to provide “additional time to review the facts of the case.” “Without prejudice” means prosecutors can refile at a later date. Ryan was released under conditions that included not initiating contact with the woman.14NBC News. Charges Dropped Against Son of Lori Vallow
Life After the Convictions
In April 2022, Ryan published a book titled The God Over Odds, which addresses his childhood trauma and his religious journey. He and his wife Kelsee appeared in the Netflix docuseries Sins of Our Mother, in which Kelsee spoke about keeping photos of Tylee and JJ around the house so their eldest daughter, Ryley, would know who they were. “We have their pictures everywhere all over our house,” Kelsee said.2People. Where Is Colby Ryan Now
On September 5, 2025, Ryan appeared at CrimeCon 2025 in Denver on a panel hosted by journalist Nate Eaton. Eaton relayed a message from Lori: “Tell Colby I love him no matter what and have him read Matthew 25.”15People. Lori Vallow Sends Message From Prison to Son Colby Ryan at CrimeCon Ryan dismissed the biblical reference as his mother’s attempt to portray herself as “godly” and frame the situation as “the wicked and the good being sifted apart.”16NewsNation. Lori Vallow Son Message CrimeCon 2025 He told the audience he has no desire to speak with his mother again. “I’m able to close the book on that part of my life,” he said. “I’m at a point where I’m healing from that.”17Court TV. Lori Daybell Sends Message to Colby Ryan Before Live Interview