Are Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell related to a detective investigating the disappearance and deaths of ‘Cult Mom”s two children?

A Rexburg, Idaho, police detective who has been named in documents related to the criminal cases against Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell may be related to Daybell by marriage.

A YouTube vlogger who reportedly obtained a trove of court records and documents related to the disappearance and death of Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow has claimed in social media posts that Rexburg Police Detective Dave Hope’s son is married to Chad Daybell’s niece Maggie Daybell.

A wedding announcement, Facebook pages, and court records appear to support the claim that the detective’s son is married to the daughter of Chad Daybell’s brother Matt Daybell. Still, CrimeOnline cannot independently confirm that Detective Hope is the same Dave Hope who appears to be Maggie’s father-in-law.

On Wednesday, a public information officer for the Rexburg Police Department said in response to a request for comment about the claims that Detective Hope was related by marriage to Chad Daybell that the department “cannot confirm or comment on your questions.”

The police department did not immediately respond to a follow-up inquiry.

Doomsday, death & deception: Nancy Grace investigates “Cult Mom” Lori Vallow. Inside sources reveal brand new bombshell information. Click here to watch.

In June, shortly after Tylee and JJ’s remains were found in Chad Daybell’s backyard, Matt Daybell and his wife released a statement acknowledging that Chad was likely involved in the children’s deaths, while also noting that some family members were having a hard time accepting the shocking reality.

Matt’s daughter Maggie Hope shared the statement on her Facebook page, which includes numerous wedding photos. The couple in the photos appear to be the same couple featured in a wedding announcement published in the Rexburg Daily Journal in June 2016. The announcement identifies the groom as Joshua Hope, the son of Dave and Linda Hope.

A probable cause affidavit for Chad Daybell’s arrest lists a Detective Hope as one of the two officers who initially reported to Lori Vallow’s home in Rexburg in November 2019 to check on the welfare of Vallow’s children. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Tylee and JJ were not present at the home, and Vallow allegedly lied to the officers about their whereabouts; asking a friend in Arizona to lie to police as well by corroborating Vallow’s claim the JJ was staying with the friend.

As the affidavit shows, the officers encountered Daybell outside Vallow’s home that day, and Daybell initially tried to claim that he did not know Vallow personally or have her phone number, though the two had married earlier that month, weeks after Daybell’s wife Tammy died in her sleep. Later the same day, Daybell reportedly admitted that he did know Vallow and have her phone number.

The report does not indicate whether either officer recognized Daybell, and Detective Hope’s first name is not included in the affidavit. A Detective Dave Hope is included in a list of potential witnesses in a discovery disclosure released by the Madison County Prosecuting Attorney’s office in April.

Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow are believed to have died on separate dates in September 2019, though investigators did not find their remains until June 9 of this year.

Both Daybell and Vallow are in custody in Idaho on suspicion of destroying or conspiring to destroy evidence. Neither have been charged with murder.