Chad Daybell is scheduled to appear in court at 11 a.m. Wednesday after human remains were found on his property, police said.
Chad Daybell will appear in court Wednesday after two sets of human remains were found on his property during a search related to the disappearance of his wife's children, Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan, police said. Investigators confirmed Wednesday they found two sets of unidentified human remains while executing a search warrant on Chad's home in Rexburg, Idaho on Tuesday, police said, and Chad was arrested.
"Shortly after the remains were discovered, Chad Daybell was taken into custody and booked into the Fremont County jail," Rexburg Police Department Assistant Chief Gary Hagen said during a press conference Tuesday.
Hagen declined to list the specific charges Chad was booked on, but EastIdahoNews.com reported that they include destruction or concealment of evidence, citing online court records. Chad is due to appear in court in Fremont County 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Autopsies will be conducted on the remains found at the home, Hagen said.
Rexburg Mayor Jerry Merrill seemed to inadvertently confirm the remains were those of JJ and Tylee in an interview with KTVX Tuesday.
"It's a sad day for Rexburg, of course, to find out the news about the kids, but on the other hand, it's a good day in the sense that it's good to try to bring some closure to the family and to this story that's been dragged out for so long," Merrill said. "So we're glad to have that closure but it is a very sad day for the people who knew those kids and that loved them and cared about them."
JJ's biological grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, released a statement in response to the news.
"We got this news early this morning that police and FBI had served a search warrant at Chad Daybell’s property and have been in touch with law enforcement throughout the day," the Woodcocks wrote. "We were notified that law enforcement had discovered human remains on the property. This is obviously a very difficult time for our family, and we ask that you respect our privacy as we wait further news with heavy hearts."
Tylee's aunt, Annie Cushing, also wrote about the discovery on Facebook.
"I just got a call from the victim's advocate. Human remains were found on the property. They don't know whose. An anthropologist is on the scene working with investigators," Cushing wrote.
Officers arrived at Chad's home at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning to begin the search, which involved bringing in backhoes to excavate part of the yard at his property, according to aerial images.
The Rexburg Police Department was assisted in the search by the Fremont County Sheriff's Department and the FBI, Hagen said, and more information has not been made publicly available at this time because the warrant is sealed.
JJ and Tylee haven't been seen since September. Chad's wife, Lori Vallow Daybell, is currently being held on $1 million bond at an Idaho jail, facing two counts of felony desertion, as well as misdemeanor charges of resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime and contempt, according to the Madison County, Idaho prosecutor's office. Lori has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Chad has previously denied all allegations of wrongdoing. The couple's attorney, Mark Means, did not immediately respond to Inside Edition Digital's request for comment.
Lori is due to appear in court on July 9 in the case of her missing children.
The Rexburg Police Department asks anyone with information regarding JJ and Tylee's whereabouts or welfare to contact the department at 1-208-359-3000 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST.
JJ has brown hair and brown eyes, is 4 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds. He has autism and "may be in need of medical attention," according to authorities. Tylee has blonde hair and blue eyes, is 5 feet tall and weighs 160 pounds.
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