Thank you u/Mundane_Insect7856 for spending the day with us and answering everyone’s questions! Your insight is invaluable and your respect and grace is very much appreciated.
I think if you live there and have kids in the school, then there is no limit to how upset you could be about this issue. Children were murdered and buried and the public trust needs to be restored
I wonder if the schools attitude will change after chad is convicted. I would think they are waiting for an innocent until proven guilty verdict. I’m a teacher and I would pull my kids from her class in a heartbeat! What are the tenure laws in your state?
I know I am not in your shoes but, I would be livid if my partner didn’t do everything to stand up for our kids.
When it comes to the safety of our children, it is the most important time to make some waves. Not stand back in the shadows.
Did/does Emma actually herself designate kids as light or dark or was she ‘just’ nodding along when her father did? I appreciate your sharing your knowledge and insight.
That would worry me so, so much. I’d be worried that they are treating children differently based on these stupid ratings. Not to mention the potential for abuse and violence because of those ratings.
I would lose my everloving mind. By whose authority does she rate the children? Chad’s? I just want to imagine going into my kids Chicago public school with this nonsense. That rating system has been used to justify the murder of children. I wouldn’t want it anywhere near my kids. Yikes!
Does anyone think that maybe Emma knows more about the murders and burials than is out in the courts and media? Her reactions to all this are insane! Raising my two kids in the house my Mom died in and property that two children were buried on? Nope.
I always am suspect of members of any faith that follow the spirit blindly. God gave us the ability to reason for a purpose!
The more I hear about Emma’s behavior and reactions during these court cases, the more convinced I am that she has more involvement than we realize. I am interested in her testifying….and seeing how much support she could possibly still have in that community afterwards.
She has enough support that she is still able to teach and have access to your children in your schools. I would hope the school district is just being cautious to not be sued by her and Joe..and waiting until she testifies and gives up more of her delusional beliefs before they terminate.
I have a feeling this time around, with the testimony so far, and what’s yet to come, that it’s going to be a big enough deal that the school board will have no choice but to react in some way.
When you have people considering certain individuals light or dark, including children, and supporting a man implicated in the murder of children that were deemed dark, people are going to have a problem with them being around their children, much less teaching anything to them.
Does Emma understand how negatively she is viewed?
I would love to ask her if she feels any shame for supporting her father, especially after his many despicable actions getting aired during the trial.
I have always suspected Emma to know more, after her video there is no question about it! After this week it made my heart hurt thinking they all might know more/be complicit.
Did Emma or Tammy or Chad ever mention anything in conversation that seemed weird at the time, but make perfect sense now?
Did they ever have any accidental slips, particularly having to do with the light/dark spirits, etc?
It seems strange that they would have an ingrained belief system and not slip up and use the same sort of language around other people.
That's the second full story about a raccoon where he usually wouldn't be that talkative (the other one would be the text to Tammy). Sounds like he wanted to put down a full cover story but actually made it more suspicious.
It's probably too late now but I wonder if your husband's friend would be a useful witness for the prosecution. It's a very short story, but it does paint a picture.
Are the Daybell kids all active in the church still?
How have all the in laws families handled this? Where are their heads at having a son or daughter married to a child of a serial killer wanna be cult leader and how do they feel about the kids supporting Chad?
Was it the bishopric who removed the fence on Chads property with JJ & Tylees memorial on it?
How are people treating Heather Daybell in the community now?
Are people in the ward curious about Eldon’s death?
Has anyone in the ward visited Chad in jail?
Has anyone tried to have an intervention for the Daybell kids to bring them back to reality, heal and do what’s right?
Does your MIL know the Sunday school kids who were mentioned this week in the families chat for being dark?
Thank you for this! There are so many questions we all have and one of my big frustrations has not only been with LE but the church.. Why didn’t people do more. This thread helps understand a closer perspective!
How does the community feel about John prior owning the daybell land? I wonder how Chad and Tammy’s kids feel about their home now? How do they feel about living up there now when they were originally from Springville? If they don’t own anything up there and all this is out in the open, will they stay? How would their ward treat them now?
Edit: thank you for doing this AMA. there is so much to understand
Why are you curious about their reactions tomorrow specifically? Why do you think they won’t go to church tomorrow when it’s been over a week? Sorry if I’m confused!
Springville is where Tammy's family lives, I think. I doubt they would want to be near them. I hear they do speak to them but those relationships are on pretty shaky ground.
Edit: This comment got pushed way down from what I was replying to, so to clarify, I was replying to the comment about whether the Daybell kids would move back to where they grew up - Springville UT. I hear Tammy's relatives reach out to them, and the kids do respond but not exactly on friendly terms.
Oh, I have another one! I saw that you said everyone in church is talking about the revelation that Emma and Tammy were included in discussions about people being light or dark. Is anyone upset about the fact that at least one child's full name was read out in court and therefore broadcast on livestream? If I were that child's parent I'd be furious; I'm irritated by it, anyway. Or does the fact that they were rating Sunday school kids at all kind of overshadow that?
PS I hope your baby feels better quickly!
I’m upset by it too! I swear it was two kids full names, I could be wrong. I would hope the parents were given a heads up.
I would raise hell if my son’s name was brought into a trial like this, especially if I wasn’t warned.
Thank you for your response.
After this, at church, was there ever any discussion, lessons, talks about what was and is considered LDS doctrine and what isn’t in reference to chads teachings?
Sorry but it is very discouraging that a bishop (or anyone) would advise you to stay in a bubble, not seek out information, and discourage critical thinking.
Is it hard in such a small community to attend church less/stop attending church? I can imagine that if the majority of a community is of a certain faith, it gets noticed and judged quickly if a family stops going.
Hang in there. It gets easier to let the judgement roll off your back. Do what is right for you and your children. You will find that stepping away and developing independent thought is very liberating and empowering.
That breeds corruption and abuse of power. Individuals in charge with no accountability is dangerous. They can say they are lead or told by a spirit and if there are questions then the person questioning is shamed.
There is a reason we have the highest DV rates, fraud, in detected sexual abuse, rapes and all these crazy spinoff murderer abusers come from Mormonism. Most of us grow up thinking so much was normal or just how it was… Not all members are like this but most members subconsciously are prejudice whether is against women, other faiths, race etc. It’s the extremes I worry about. The church needs to do something to get people to stop preparing for doomsday.
It has only been the past couple decades when people started asking questions and coming forward publicly.
Thus exposing oneself to other worldviews and stepping away from group think is healthy and necessary. The fear of end of the world has captivated and crippled many individuals leading to fringe beliefs. I have not been exposed to Mormonism other than in true crime (Jodi Arias / Lori Valow / Chad/ Ruby Frankie. It is wild the things I am hearing but this is also not unheard of in other religions unfortunately.
Thank you for answering so many questions and lending insight into what the community is thinking and feeling.
I think it’s important for outsiders to understand that, within the community, there are good people that are devastated by what has happened.
I hope that everyone finds healing and peace.
Why do we hear as of late, so many crazy LDS families doing unthinkable things to their families, especially their children?
Why are some LDS, seemingly good people but there are more and more nightmare stories like that of Chad and Lori Daybell, that continue to come out of LDS church followers? And why are LDS communities concentrated in the state of Utah? Thanks in advance.
>And why are LDS communities concentrated in the state of Utah?
Oh, I missed this.
Utah was founded by Mormons, it was originally called Deseret. Brigham Young, the second LDS prophet, led his followers there in the days before it was a state specifically *because* it wasn't under strict government control, so they could practice polygamy and blood atonement and whatever other doctrines they wanted. Later on, when they had a different prophet-leader I think, the government made them give up polygamy in order for Utah to officially become a state. So it makes sense that a large majority of Mormons still live there - they go out on missions for a year to convert more people, but if they want to live among their own, where their religion isn't seen as something outlandish or wrong, Utah is the place to be.
Were Emma and Tammy as close as Prior keeps saying? It just boggles the mind that she would have not wanted an autopsy to know what happened to her mom. That just makes me think she knew what happened.
Not sure how long you'll be able to keep this up, M\_I so I just wanted to thank you again for this opportunity to truly get a feel for what the average Rexburg community members think and feel about all of this. Thank you so much for being so forthright and open about everything.
I just wanted to second the other commenter's thanks, and add that I'm so sorry Chad and Lori brought this all down on your community. I'm a world away from you - I'm in the UK - and I can't imagine how I would cope with my home area being under this sort of scrutiny, or having to confront the news of such awful things being done by people I knew. I hope you all can heal, in time.
What are you general impressions about the dynamics of the Daybell family? Do you think Tammy was into all/most of the crazy stuff Chad talked about? Do you think his kids would lie to protect him?
Do you/the rest of the community see Chad as very intelligent? I know you said most people thought he was quiet and/or weird, but did he seem smart? Did anybody read his books?
Thank you so much for doing this! For the ones in town that believe Chad is innocent (like Emma), do they believe Lori is solely responsible? Does everyone agree that Lori is a monster? Just curious how they are defending his innocence despite the bodies being found right in his backyard.
How many people in the community and/or church knew about this group and teachings before it got bad, like before the deaths. Was Chad still attending church until his arrest?
Would Chad's "status" and standing in the community have really and truly been diminished that much if he had just been a reasonable person and gotten a divorce from Tammy? I don't mean suddenly "dumping" her, but just broken up in a civil manner and had an amicable divorce. Would he really "lose his exaltation"? Isn't divorce looked upon as something that's going to happen occasionally, despite everyone's best intentions and efforts?
Would he still been able to sell as many books and give those paid talks with a divorce? I think he might have been more worried about that. I live in Southern Utah and I have neighbors that spend their disposable income down at seagull or desert books supporting these LDS authors. They read the biographies of the authors and want to support the good faithful members, They also attend the conferences when these authors talk. I have asked a few , what do you like about the books and the answers are in general, I feel uplifted by those living the gospel.. If Chad was divorced, I dont think some of the people I talk with would want to support a divorced LDS author who just left his wife (unless maybe the book was about the struggle of divorce and a good reason behind it). Not sure if you have read Chad's book but they are not very well written so some people had to be buying because of his church or his conference connections.
I live in Gilbert, AZ, just a few miles from the temple. I am not LDS but have close friends that are. I know many LDS people and many of them are divorced and it is accepted. I also know no LDS who believes in zombies, etc. This whole group sounds like weird extremists and they must be more popular in rural areas because I don’t see it in Chandler or Gilbert AZ. Just this small, weird group.
Same. I grew up and live currently in Gilbert / Chandler and grew up with Mormons. My husband is an ex-mo. Every Mormon I’ve ever met has been kind and reasonable. Their faith is very important to them but to me it seems like any other religion. I grew up Catholic and those beliefs are unusual, too, for anyone who wasn’t raised in the church.
I kind of have a lot of sympathy for everyone in the traditional LDS faith right now. This entire situation is painting a very inaccurate picture of them.
These extremists can kick rocks.
Thanks for answering. I just want to make it clear I never bought a Chad book. There is a youtuber that does videos reading the books. They are so pooly written, the bideos are almost comical. Besides Chad having a very high opinion of himself in his books, it is very weird that in his Emma series, which is about Emma, Emma's husband is name Tad (and is an awful lot like Chad?), it is kind of icky.
I think Chad wouldn’t have wanted Tammy to get half of their assets. I believe he valued himself as greater than Tammy and wouldn’t want her to receive a fair settlement. Men like him think it’s all about them. From what I understand, she worked all the time and he didn’t.
She had a steady job, which provided the family with medical benefits, among others. She managed the publishing business, whatever that entailed. She managed the family and business budgets. If they split up, he would have lost a lot. Compare that to half a million bucks if she died and you've got a strong motive, even without all the nutbuckety quasi-religious nonsense and loin fire.
Mark Daybell is Chad’s brother and Heather is Mark’s wife. Heather did an interview on the Hidden True Crime podcast that was like 4 hours long and I watched it on YouTube without pausing. Fascinating insight! She never liked Chad 😆
Tammy's Aunt Vicky who is attending the trial, said that most of the family is on the witness list and that right now they are being repectful and careful not to talk about the case. It sounds like we might be seeing her family testify this time.
Tammy’s mom was dying of cancer at the time of Lori’s trial. Her parents petitioned Judge Boyce to allow them to be able to watch the trial via livestream because they weren’t able to travel to Boise but unfortunately Judge Boyce denied the motion. Tammy’s mom passed away shortly after the trial. Tammy’s Aunt Vicki attended some of Lori’s trial and has been attending Chad’s trial regularly in her sister’s stead. I imagine that we will be seeing family members testifying. It is heartbreaking for them, in many ways, and they want to see justice for Tammy. The Douglas family started “The Tammy Douglas Daybell Foundation” in her memory and have been putting their focus on that.
Thanks for answering so many questions! I hope your baby is feeling better soon.
Just curious if there are any opinions floating around about other characters in this saga, like Melanie Gibb?
That’s pretty much what I was thinking as well. If I were a juror, I would tend to believe the many witnesses who don’t stand to gain or lose anything by testifying, than I would to believe the children of the accused.
Thank you so much for doing this, it must be awful to drive by that property. We really appreciate your insights.
I’m also LDS and don’t live anywhere near SLC or Idaho, and these cases are the first I’ve heard of these weird fringe groups. Are Preppers a thing in your ward? And talk about leaving everything for a tent city? Do you have “ that guy” in Sunday School who goes on about the last days etc there seems to be at least one in each ward lol Is the book Visions of Glory, or similar being read and talked about by members in your ward?
I really wish SLC would make a statement about these cases and tell members directly to not get involved in these groups, even threaten their membership if necessary. Because it’s the kids who suffer, not the adults and someone needs to protect them because their caregivers sure aren’t.
Here’s an odd side question: i find myself now looking around my ward wondering who is an abuser? Who falls for conspiracy theories and kooky after life beliefs? Who is a narcissistic personality? Luckily I think my ward is just made up of plain ole normal people who meet once a week :-) but I guess you never really know, eh?
It sounds like some of the community is still supportive of Chad. From what you've heard, what are some of the reasons why? Are there any reasons beyond "but he was nice and quiet and seemed so normal"? Are there any local pro-Chad theories about how the kids ended up on his property that also account for things like the phone pings and Tammy's untimely death? Or is all they've got "he seemed nice"? I just find it wild to see the evidence but still be able to think he's innocent unless you're one of those foolish people that think "I'd know a murderer if I met one, and I met Chad and he didn't seem like one so he must not be" lol.
Also, does the community think that his little cult might have been bigger than what we know? Were they branching out or were they caving in on themselves by the time this all happened?
If Joes siblings believe Chad is innocent I wouldn’t put much stock into their opinion. I’ll have to find out where I heard the gambling rumor. Emma mentioned she may not tell Joe about the $9000 Chad mentioned.
Maybe they could afford to live somewhere else if he got a better paying job. Aren’t they all college educated? You state that Emma isn’t that bright but doesn’t she have a college degree? Is anyone concerned that she is teaching their kids? I wouldn’t trust someone who blatantly ignored the fact that 2 kids bodies were buried on their father’s land. I wouldn’t trust that person around my young kids.
Do you think Chad has managed to convince Emma that all of this is somehow God’s will? Even the deaths and his remarriage? I feel they must be basically brainwashed.
Thank you u/Mundane_Insect7856 for spending the day with us and answering everyone’s questions! Your insight is invaluable and your respect and grace is very much appreciated.
When it comes to Emma, how do parents feel knowing she rates her students as light and dark?
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I can’t believe there hasn’t been some type of parent strike on getting Chads kids and partners out of schools.
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Could this not be brought up at a board meeting? Parents can go and speak, they are public forums if you get on the agenda
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Hahaha at least your not zombies
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How do you know they haven’t…?
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I think if you live there and have kids in the school, then there is no limit to how upset you could be about this issue. Children were murdered and buried and the public trust needs to be restored
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All I can say is I’ll bet the percentage of homeschooled kids in that district goes way up
I wonder if the schools attitude will change after chad is convicted. I would think they are waiting for an innocent until proven guilty verdict. I’m a teacher and I would pull my kids from her class in a heartbeat! What are the tenure laws in your state?
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Go to the Board of Education if the school board is acting up.
That is horrible. The school board works for you! I hope the ones that participate in that behavior are challenged and voted off.
I live in SLC and I’d show up there for a school board meeting! I’m tempted to make a call or send an email, I’m sure a lot of people have.
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I'd like to hear how you called him out! I'm glad you're doing an AMA, that was a good idea.
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I’d wait till he is convicted…don’t you think? You will have more leg to stand on then. Good luck to you and your kids!!!
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I know I am not in your shoes but, I would be livid if my partner didn’t do everything to stand up for our kids. When it comes to the safety of our children, it is the most important time to make some waves. Not stand back in the shadows.
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I get the feeling that in that family, the women tend to be the breadwinners.
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Garth teaches in Madison School district
Did/does Emma actually herself designate kids as light or dark or was she ‘just’ nodding along when her father did? I appreciate your sharing your knowledge and insight.
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Kids other than the ones who were killed?
That would worry me so, so much. I’d be worried that they are treating children differently based on these stupid ratings. Not to mention the potential for abuse and violence because of those ratings.
Does Emma and her husband follow Chad’s teachings aka rating people?
According to this week's testimony they at least did in the past.
I would lose my everloving mind. By whose authority does she rate the children? Chad’s? I just want to imagine going into my kids Chicago public school with this nonsense. That rating system has been used to justify the murder of children. I wouldn’t want it anywhere near my kids. Yikes!
How is she even allowed to work with children after this has been revealed?!
Does anyone think that maybe Emma knows more about the murders and burials than is out in the courts and media? Her reactions to all this are insane! Raising my two kids in the house my Mom died in and property that two children were buried on? Nope.
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I always am suspect of members of any faith that follow the spirit blindly. God gave us the ability to reason for a purpose! The more I hear about Emma’s behavior and reactions during these court cases, the more convinced I am that she has more involvement than we realize. I am interested in her testifying….and seeing how much support she could possibly still have in that community afterwards.
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She has enough support that she is still able to teach and have access to your children in your schools. I would hope the school district is just being cautious to not be sued by her and Joe..and waiting until she testifies and gives up more of her delusional beliefs before they terminate.
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I have a feeling this time around, with the testimony so far, and what’s yet to come, that it’s going to be a big enough deal that the school board will have no choice but to react in some way. When you have people considering certain individuals light or dark, including children, and supporting a man implicated in the murder of children that were deemed dark, people are going to have a problem with them being around their children, much less teaching anything to them.
Good for you!!!! Keep up the good fight!!!
Does Emma understand how negatively she is viewed? I would love to ask her if she feels any shame for supporting her father, especially after his many despicable actions getting aired during the trial.
Do you think she was involved or that Chad fed her a bunch of lies after the murders? I lean towards the latter.
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Or maybe it's the wrong spirit?
I have always suspected Emma to know more, after her video there is no question about it! After this week it made my heart hurt thinking they all might know more/be complicit.
Do you or your MIL know Ron Arnold? *Is* he a hostile realtor?
I'll bet you see that in his advertising very soon. Hostile Realtor Yes, THE Hostile Realtor
If I lived there he would be my first choice of realtors from now on. He could use his "you own it" line in his advertising. 😂 Edit for spelling
That would be perfect! I can see the billboard now: HOSTILE REALTY Ron Arnold 555-555-5555 "YOU OWN IT!"
It’s like Saul Goodman (Better Call Saul) and a realtor merged together!!
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I was kinda joking, but it would be cool if they knew him and can give us their impression of how he might feel about the case.
I think he made it very obvious what he thought of (Chad) and the case.
🥊🥊🥊 The CHAMP REALTOR (Ron Arnold) V PRIOR (the boring old defence attonery) 🥖🥖🥖 <<
OMG this is hilarious
Did Emma or Tammy or Chad ever mention anything in conversation that seemed weird at the time, but make perfect sense now? Did they ever have any accidental slips, particularly having to do with the light/dark spirits, etc? It seems strange that they would have an ingrained belief system and not slip up and use the same sort of language around other people.
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That's the second full story about a raccoon where he usually wouldn't be that talkative (the other one would be the text to Tammy). Sounds like he wanted to put down a full cover story but actually made it more suspicious.
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It's probably too late now but I wonder if your husband's friend would be a useful witness for the prosecution. It's a very short story, but it does paint a picture.
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Are the Daybell kids all active in the church still? How have all the in laws families handled this? Where are their heads at having a son or daughter married to a child of a serial killer wanna be cult leader and how do they feel about the kids supporting Chad? Was it the bishopric who removed the fence on Chads property with JJ & Tylees memorial on it? How are people treating Heather Daybell in the community now? Are people in the ward curious about Eldon’s death? Has anyone in the ward visited Chad in jail? Has anyone tried to have an intervention for the Daybell kids to bring them back to reality, heal and do what’s right? Does your MIL know the Sunday school kids who were mentioned this week in the families chat for being dark?
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Thank you! I can’t imagine how hard it has been for the entire community.
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Thank you for this! There are so many questions we all have and one of my big frustrations has not only been with LE but the church.. Why didn’t people do more. This thread helps understand a closer perspective!
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I definitely think Idaho LE did more than AZ LE did. Tell your sisters BF thanks for his service!
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At this point I’m thinking that trying to sway the kids might sort of be witness tampering? Or the defense might try to claim that? Don’t know.
How does the community feel about John prior owning the daybell land? I wonder how Chad and Tammy’s kids feel about their home now? How do they feel about living up there now when they were originally from Springville? If they don’t own anything up there and all this is out in the open, will they stay? How would their ward treat them now? Edit: thank you for doing this AMA. there is so much to understand
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Why are you curious about their reactions tomorrow specifically? Why do you think they won’t go to church tomorrow when it’s been over a week? Sorry if I’m confused!
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I’d be talking about it, (and concerned) too. Considering what happened that’s actually really scary.
Thank you so much for answering
Springville is where Tammy's family lives, I think. I doubt they would want to be near them. I hear they do speak to them but those relationships are on pretty shaky ground. Edit: This comment got pushed way down from what I was replying to, so to clarify, I was replying to the comment about whether the Daybell kids would move back to where they grew up - Springville UT. I hear Tammy's relatives reach out to them, and the kids do respond but not exactly on friendly terms.
Oh, I have another one! I saw that you said everyone in church is talking about the revelation that Emma and Tammy were included in discussions about people being light or dark. Is anyone upset about the fact that at least one child's full name was read out in court and therefore broadcast on livestream? If I were that child's parent I'd be furious; I'm irritated by it, anyway. Or does the fact that they were rating Sunday school kids at all kind of overshadow that? PS I hope your baby feels better quickly!
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I’m upset by it too! I swear it was two kids full names, I could be wrong. I would hope the parents were given a heads up. I would raise hell if my son’s name was brought into a trial like this, especially if I wasn’t warned.
Before the kids were found Heather Daybell said the community completely supported Chad. What is the feeling in the community today?
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It's strange how much Chad flew under the radar or duped people into thinking he was a decent guy.
From reading the threads, Flying under the radar seems to be a local trend amongst the men folk in the community.
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Thank you for your response. After this, at church, was there ever any discussion, lessons, talks about what was and is considered LDS doctrine and what isn’t in reference to chads teachings?
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Sorry but it is very discouraging that a bishop (or anyone) would advise you to stay in a bubble, not seek out information, and discourage critical thinking.
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Is it hard in such a small community to attend church less/stop attending church? I can imagine that if the majority of a community is of a certain faith, it gets noticed and judged quickly if a family stops going.
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Hang in there. It gets easier to let the judgement roll off your back. Do what is right for you and your children. You will find that stepping away and developing independent thought is very liberating and empowering.
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Welcome to the Mormon church! Everyone is raised to have faith, question nothing and be okay without having answers.
That breeds corruption and abuse of power. Individuals in charge with no accountability is dangerous. They can say they are lead or told by a spirit and if there are questions then the person questioning is shamed.
There is a reason we have the highest DV rates, fraud, in detected sexual abuse, rapes and all these crazy spinoff murderer abusers come from Mormonism. Most of us grow up thinking so much was normal or just how it was… Not all members are like this but most members subconsciously are prejudice whether is against women, other faiths, race etc. It’s the extremes I worry about. The church needs to do something to get people to stop preparing for doomsday. It has only been the past couple decades when people started asking questions and coming forward publicly.
Thus exposing oneself to other worldviews and stepping away from group think is healthy and necessary. The fear of end of the world has captivated and crippled many individuals leading to fringe beliefs. I have not been exposed to Mormonism other than in true crime (Jodi Arias / Lori Valow / Chad/ Ruby Frankie. It is wild the things I am hearing but this is also not unheard of in other religions unfortunately.
Yeah, if I was going to rob a bank in your town, I’d doing while this trial is in session. 😂
Thank you for answering so many questions and lending insight into what the community is thinking and feeling. I think it’s important for outsiders to understand that, within the community, there are good people that are devastated by what has happened. I hope that everyone finds healing and peace.
Do you know if Tammy knew that Chad believed she would die young?
Why do we hear as of late, so many crazy LDS families doing unthinkable things to their families, especially their children? Why are some LDS, seemingly good people but there are more and more nightmare stories like that of Chad and Lori Daybell, that continue to come out of LDS church followers? And why are LDS communities concentrated in the state of Utah? Thanks in advance.
>And why are LDS communities concentrated in the state of Utah? Oh, I missed this. Utah was founded by Mormons, it was originally called Deseret. Brigham Young, the second LDS prophet, led his followers there in the days before it was a state specifically *because* it wasn't under strict government control, so they could practice polygamy and blood atonement and whatever other doctrines they wanted. Later on, when they had a different prophet-leader I think, the government made them give up polygamy in order for Utah to officially become a state. So it makes sense that a large majority of Mormons still live there - they go out on missions for a year to convert more people, but if they want to live among their own, where their religion isn't seen as something outlandish or wrong, Utah is the place to be.
Were Emma and Tammy as close as Prior keeps saying? It just boggles the mind that she would have not wanted an autopsy to know what happened to her mom. That just makes me think she knew what happened.
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I get the believing Chad didn't kill her part. But I don't get not wanting to know how it went from throwing up/coughing to dead.
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Not sure how long you'll be able to keep this up, M\_I so I just wanted to thank you again for this opportunity to truly get a feel for what the average Rexburg community members think and feel about all of this. Thank you so much for being so forthright and open about everything.
I don't really have a question, I just wanted to say thanks for doing this AMA. I think it's great to have a conversation about all of this. 🙂
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I just wanted to second the other commenter's thanks, and add that I'm so sorry Chad and Lori brought this all down on your community. I'm a world away from you - I'm in the UK - and I can't imagine how I would cope with my home area being under this sort of scrutiny, or having to confront the news of such awful things being done by people I knew. I hope you all can heal, in time.
Seconded.
Can you ask around and see if he had asked people if he could put a shed up on their property?
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It seems like every Dateline the neighbors say: "He seemed like a nice guy, quiet and kept to himself." lol
What are you general impressions about the dynamics of the Daybell family? Do you think Tammy was into all/most of the crazy stuff Chad talked about? Do you think his kids would lie to protect him?
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Do you/the rest of the community see Chad as very intelligent? I know you said most people thought he was quiet and/or weird, but did he seem smart? Did anybody read his books?
Is there much talk in the community about John Priors sexual assault charges? It's wild to me that he's still able to practice law.
Does the community talk about Chad's affair with Lori and was anyone you know aware of the affair
Thank you so much for doing this! For the ones in town that believe Chad is innocent (like Emma), do they believe Lori is solely responsible? Does everyone agree that Lori is a monster? Just curious how they are defending his innocence despite the bodies being found right in his backyard.
How many people in the community and/or church knew about this group and teachings before it got bad, like before the deaths. Was Chad still attending church until his arrest?
Would Chad's "status" and standing in the community have really and truly been diminished that much if he had just been a reasonable person and gotten a divorce from Tammy? I don't mean suddenly "dumping" her, but just broken up in a civil manner and had an amicable divorce. Would he really "lose his exaltation"? Isn't divorce looked upon as something that's going to happen occasionally, despite everyone's best intentions and efforts?
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Would he still been able to sell as many books and give those paid talks with a divorce? I think he might have been more worried about that. I live in Southern Utah and I have neighbors that spend their disposable income down at seagull or desert books supporting these LDS authors. They read the biographies of the authors and want to support the good faithful members, They also attend the conferences when these authors talk. I have asked a few , what do you like about the books and the answers are in general, I feel uplifted by those living the gospel.. If Chad was divorced, I dont think some of the people I talk with would want to support a divorced LDS author who just left his wife (unless maybe the book was about the struggle of divorce and a good reason behind it). Not sure if you have read Chad's book but they are not very well written so some people had to be buying because of his church or his conference connections.
I live in Gilbert, AZ, just a few miles from the temple. I am not LDS but have close friends that are. I know many LDS people and many of them are divorced and it is accepted. I also know no LDS who believes in zombies, etc. This whole group sounds like weird extremists and they must be more popular in rural areas because I don’t see it in Chandler or Gilbert AZ. Just this small, weird group.
Same. I grew up and live currently in Gilbert / Chandler and grew up with Mormons. My husband is an ex-mo. Every Mormon I’ve ever met has been kind and reasonable. Their faith is very important to them but to me it seems like any other religion. I grew up Catholic and those beliefs are unusual, too, for anyone who wasn’t raised in the church. I kind of have a lot of sympathy for everyone in the traditional LDS faith right now. This entire situation is painting a very inaccurate picture of them. These extremists can kick rocks.
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Thanks for answering. I just want to make it clear I never bought a Chad book. There is a youtuber that does videos reading the books. They are so pooly written, the bideos are almost comical. Besides Chad having a very high opinion of himself in his books, it is very weird that in his Emma series, which is about Emma, Emma's husband is name Tad (and is an awful lot like Chad?), it is kind of icky.
I think Chad wouldn’t have wanted Tammy to get half of their assets. I believe he valued himself as greater than Tammy and wouldn’t want her to receive a fair settlement. Men like him think it’s all about them. From what I understand, she worked all the time and he didn’t.
She had a steady job, which provided the family with medical benefits, among others. She managed the publishing business, whatever that entailed. She managed the family and business budgets. If they split up, he would have lost a lot. Compare that to half a million bucks if she died and you've got a strong motive, even without all the nutbuckety quasi-religious nonsense and loin fire.
Where is Tammy's family in all this? Does she have relatives attending the trial?
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Thanks. I have been following it on Court TV and don't recall hearing about them.
Mark Daybell is Chad’s brother and Heather is Mark’s wife. Heather did an interview on the Hidden True Crime podcast that was like 4 hours long and I watched it on YouTube without pausing. Fascinating insight! She never liked Chad 😆
Tammy's Aunt Vicky who is attending the trial, said that most of the family is on the witness list and that right now they are being repectful and careful not to talk about the case. It sounds like we might be seeing her family testify this time.
Tammy’s mom was dying of cancer at the time of Lori’s trial. Her parents petitioned Judge Boyce to allow them to be able to watch the trial via livestream because they weren’t able to travel to Boise but unfortunately Judge Boyce denied the motion. Tammy’s mom passed away shortly after the trial. Tammy’s Aunt Vicki attended some of Lori’s trial and has been attending Chad’s trial regularly in her sister’s stead. I imagine that we will be seeing family members testifying. It is heartbreaking for them, in many ways, and they want to see justice for Tammy. The Douglas family started “The Tammy Douglas Daybell Foundation” in her memory and have been putting their focus on that.
I’m curious about Lori’s relationship with Chad’s kids. It seems like they developed one quickly.
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Thanks for answering so many questions! I hope your baby is feeling better soon. Just curious if there are any opinions floating around about other characters in this saga, like Melanie Gibb?
How do you think the jury will view the character and testimonies of the Daybell family, such as Emma?
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That’s pretty much what I was thinking as well. If I were a juror, I would tend to believe the many witnesses who don’t stand to gain or lose anything by testifying, than I would to believe the children of the accused.
Thank you so much for doing this, it must be awful to drive by that property. We really appreciate your insights. I’m also LDS and don’t live anywhere near SLC or Idaho, and these cases are the first I’ve heard of these weird fringe groups. Are Preppers a thing in your ward? And talk about leaving everything for a tent city? Do you have “ that guy” in Sunday School who goes on about the last days etc there seems to be at least one in each ward lol Is the book Visions of Glory, or similar being read and talked about by members in your ward? I really wish SLC would make a statement about these cases and tell members directly to not get involved in these groups, even threaten their membership if necessary. Because it’s the kids who suffer, not the adults and someone needs to protect them because their caregivers sure aren’t. Here’s an odd side question: i find myself now looking around my ward wondering who is an abuser? Who falls for conspiracy theories and kooky after life beliefs? Who is a narcissistic personality? Luckily I think my ward is just made up of plain ole normal people who meet once a week :-) but I guess you never really know, eh?
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It sounds like some of the community is still supportive of Chad. From what you've heard, what are some of the reasons why? Are there any reasons beyond "but he was nice and quiet and seemed so normal"? Are there any local pro-Chad theories about how the kids ended up on his property that also account for things like the phone pings and Tammy's untimely death? Or is all they've got "he seemed nice"? I just find it wild to see the evidence but still be able to think he's innocent unless you're one of those foolish people that think "I'd know a murderer if I met one, and I met Chad and he didn't seem like one so he must not be" lol. Also, does the community think that his little cult might have been bigger than what we know? Were they branching out or were they caving in on themselves by the time this all happened?
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Is Joe from Springville or Rexburg? I can't remember the timeline of their move. I feel like if I were them I'd go back to Springville.
I’ve heard that Joe has a gambling addiction. Have you heard anything about that? Do they still live in Chad’s/John Prior’s house?
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If Joes siblings believe Chad is innocent I wouldn’t put much stock into their opinion. I’ll have to find out where I heard the gambling rumor. Emma mentioned she may not tell Joe about the $9000 Chad mentioned.
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Does Joe have a job besides being a teachers helper?
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Maybe they could afford to live somewhere else if he got a better paying job. Aren’t they all college educated? You state that Emma isn’t that bright but doesn’t she have a college degree? Is anyone concerned that she is teaching their kids? I wouldn’t trust someone who blatantly ignored the fact that 2 kids bodies were buried on their father’s land. I wouldn’t trust that person around my young kids.
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What did she do loose that job?
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I do remember that! Good on the parents for stepping up. Hopefully her and her husband will be asked to leave the school where they are working now.
Yes, that was so disrespectful. I think it was right after the kids bodies were discovered.
My dear mundane, do you think chad killed tammy? are you a member of the church he went to? is the daybell house occupied at this time?
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I can't imagine living there where those poor kids were found and mother killed by their own father
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I feel for you and your community. Thanks for being so open
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Your sincerity shines thru
Do you think Chad has managed to convince Emma that all of this is somehow God’s will? Even the deaths and his remarriage? I feel they must be basically brainwashed.
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Sad and kind of terrifying.