A Woodland Hills family is breathing a sigh of relief this week since the recovery of a mother who had been missing for almost two weeks. Holly Courtier, 38, was found alive October 18 in Zion National Park in Utah following an extensive search by friends, family, and law enforcement. Holly Courtier had arrived in the area of the park on October 6 by virtue of a private shuttle bus that was meant to pick her up from the park the same day. She did not make the return trip in the shuttle bus however. Park rangers were able to locate her after they received “a credible tip from a park visitor that they had seen Courtier within the park.” While the circumstances of her disappearance still remain murky, her family is overjoyed to have her back. Courtier’s family expressed their gratitude in a statement, “We would like to thank the rangers and search teams who relentlessly looked for her day and night and never gave up hope. We are also so grateful to the countless volunteers who were generous with their time, resources, and support.”
Courtier’s story is not an isolated incident by any means. People go missing in national parks every year. When a person goes missing in a national park, the disappearance is usually attributed to the missing person having ran afoul of nature or misadventure, a non-human element that has caused them to come to harm and are unable to call for help. Data surrounding the exact amount of people who have disappeared in our national parks system is unreliable or inaccurate, depending on the source, because the government does not invest in resources for tracking these incidents. In the case of Holly Courtier, if she had not been located, her disappearance may have never entered a database. Courtier’s family may have had to settle for an educated guess by law enforcement that she was attacked by a wild animal. Courtier was luckily seen by another person visiting the park, leading to her safe recovery. The disappearances of persons in national parks over the years have concluded more favorably in recent years with improvements in technology and the amount of resources available to aid in searches in national parks. For Holly Courtier’s family, they now have the answers they need and their loved one back in their embrace.
A nervous, home-bound American population is not shy about how obsessed they are with Netflix’s true-crime docuseries, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness. The nation is enthralled with the story of Joe Exotic, the owner of the infamous G.W. Zoo in Oklahoma and his personal and professional drama with other big cat owners in the wildlife community. Joe Exotic’s story, full of twists and turns, brings the viewer’s focus to big cat sanctuary owner, Carole Baskin, his self-declared arch-nemesis. While the documentary has viewers feverishly binging the series, it’s also left viewers with a lot of questions about Carole Baskin’s second husband, Don Lewis, whose 1997 disappearance has never been solved.
From his platform as the subject of the documentary and through his YouTube reality show about his zoo, Joe Exotic is too excited to direct fans to the alleged bad acts of Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida. Among a litany of accusations towards Baskin, the one that really had fans arching an eyebrow was the accusation that Carole Baskin was responsible for the disappearance of her second husband, Don Lewis, and covered up his death by feeding his remains to the tigers in the sanctuary. In a time where missing person cases are receiving less attention because of COVID-19 coverage, law enforcement and armchair detectives alike are taking a deeper dive into this cold 1997 missing persons case.
The third episode of the series examines the facts of Don Lewis’s missing person case, documenting his alleged history of womanizing and leading a second life with a girlfriend in Costa Rica. To camera, Carole describes a marriage that at its best was mutually beneficial, and at its worst was insufferable, “Don was not easy to live with and like most couples, we had our moments.” She described a pattern of erratic behavior, which she retroactively attributes to the possibility that Don was suffering from deteriorating mental capacity, possibly from Alzheimer’s. She was also able to confirm after his disappearance that he was being treated for bipolar disorder when she found a prescription for it in their home. It was well-known that Don Lewis was worth millions—although reports of how many millions differs depending on the talking head. Alternate theories of his disappearance have included that he used his vast wealth to disappear to Costa Rica to live with one of his extramarital partners.
Carole Baskin is not the only subject in the docuseries who is revolted by how she is portrayed, and like the others, she took to social media to defend herself as the film started to receive a wave of backlash. In a long media post after the docuseries’ release, Baskin vehemently denied once again that she ever played a part in Don Lewis’ disappearance, citing particular dissatisfaction that the docuseries perpetuated the ‘rumor’ that she had fed her husband’s remains to the tigers in the sanctuary, “The meat grinder shown in the video was enormous. Our meat grinder was one of those little table-top, hand crank things, like you’d have in your kitchen at home.” Baskin went on to say that at the time of her husband’s disappearance, she was engaged in the search and cooperative with law enforcement, “When he disappeared, I did everything I could to assist the police. I encouraged them to check out the rumors from Costa Rica, and separately, I hired a private investigator.” The “rumors from Costa Rica” come from a theory that Don Lewis might have permanently relocated to Costa Rica, where he had visited many times, both for business and pleasure. The rumors go further to suggest that Don had a mistress with whom he was attempting to build a new life. Carole Baskin’s full response to Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness can be found on the Big Cat Rescue website.
The real-life drama of these big cat professionals has taken another strange turn as ABC announced that Baskin would be appearing on the next season of Dancing with the Stars, leading to complex discourse about the ethics of putting a figure like Carole Baskin on the reality television show. Despite the fact that law enforcement was unable to link her to Don Lewis’s disappearance, the idea has left a bad taste in the mouth of some viewers who call the move ‘tasteless.’ Prior to being eliminated from the show, the family of Don Lewis took out local ad space to raise awareness about his unsolved disappearance. The family of Don Lewis, their attorney, and his former assistant appeared in the television spot right before Dancing With the Stars was set to air, encouraging anyone with information to contact law enforcement. Attorney John Philips said that some of the tips that were generated by the ad spot have proven to be credible, with tipsters offering both people and locations to investigate with due-diligence.
The Netflix docuseries has reignited interest in Don Lewis’ cold missing person case within present-day law enforcement. Chad Chronister, the sheriff in Tampa, Florida, tweeted out that he was asking for anyone with information to come forward in the interest of generating new leads in Don’s disappearance. Law enforcement at the time of the disappearance made it clear that Carole Baskin was investigated as a person of interest in Don’s disappearance, but they found “nothing linked her to being involved.” Its not uncommon for the spouse of a missing person to be looked at as a person of interest in their disappearance, but when the lead has been exhausted, investigators move on. Don Lewis’ missing person case is just one in an excess of 800,000 cases that remain unsolved today.
Anyone with information on the disappearance of Jack “Don” Lewis is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.
The family of Vanessa Guillén had their worst fears confirmed last week when the Army officially identified human remains as belonging to the missing Fort Hood soldier. Vanessa Guillén disappeared in late April 2020 from her regiment headquarters located near Killeen, Texas. Her remains were found last Tuesday in what has been described as a “shallow grave” by a river in Texas. Authorities have stated they believe Guillén was killed by a fellow soldier, prompting outcry from the community and legislators who have demanded an investigation into the oversights that contributed to this crime.
Vanessa Guillén’s missing person case has been turbulent over the last ten days, beginning with the discovery of her remains by contractors who were working on a fence near the burial site. In a ghastly discovery, investigators found human remains in multiple locations throughout the area. According to ABC13, “When authorities searched the area, they found scattered human remains that appeared to be placed into a concrete-like substance and buried.”
Following the identification of the remains of Vanessa Guillén, investigators were able to identify a person of interest in the case—Aaron David Robinson, 20, an Army Specialist serving with Vanessa Guillén at Fort Hood. Robinson died by suicide on the day authorities contacted him after Guillén’s remains were identified. While it’s clear we’ll never get to hear an explanation from Robinson himself on his alleged role in the murder of Vanessa Guillén, police have received a gruesome alleged account from his estranged girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar.
Aguilar, 22, has officially been charged with a single count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence with regards to her role in concealing Vanessa Guillén’s murder. She gave a second-hand account of Guillén’s murder based on what Robinson allegedly confessed to her when he solicited her help in burying the remains. Aguilar told investigators that Robinson had confessed he had killed Vanessa Guillén in his arms room while on post the day she went missing. He did so by striking her in the head with a hammer. According to Aguilar, he then placed her body in an box and moved the box off-base near Leon River.
Aguilar then told investigators that Robinson picked her up from a gas station and took her to the box. According to what Aguilar told investigators, she then assisted Robinson in dismembering Vanessa Guillén and placing her remains in holes in three different locations near the bridge where they were discovered by contractors last week. Aguilar’s first court hearing is Monday, July 13.
The attorney representing Vanessa Guillén’s family has stated that Guillén may have been sexually harassed before her disappearance, but Army investigators have yet to establish a connection between the alleged harassment and the murder. The family has also criticized the Army for failing to act in the weeks following Guillén’s disappearance, stating that it wasn’t until national spotlight was on the case that the investigation was able to move forward. Major General Scott Efflandt defended against these claims by saying during a press conference, “What I was able to share [with the family] was tempered by my responsibility to protect the investigation so that we could a) find Vanessa; b) prosecute those responsible for this travesty, and in the end be in a position to punish them.”
Vanessa Guillén’s death prompted many in communities surrounding Fort Hood spent their Fourth of July a little differently this year. Thousands took to the streets of Houston last Saturday, demanding justice and accountability for a fallen member of the armed forces in the days following the identification of her remains. The case has sparked outrage from citizens in different walks of life including mothers and veterans who were sickened to hear the story of the Fort Hood Soldier, and how the Army appeared to have dragged its feet when it came to investigating her disappearance and getting answers for her family.
The family of LaShaya Stine is still waiting anxiously for answers in her mysterious disappearance. LaShaya was 16 years old and living in Aurora, Colorado with her family when she disappeared in 2016. For almost four years, investigators have been trying to answer the curious questions about that night, including why would a young teen girl suddenly leave her house in the middle of the night?
LaShaya Stine was a bright and diligent student who was on the honor roll at George Washington High School in Aurora. She was on the professional track to become a nurse and devote her life to caring for others. Great things were on the horizon for her, including an internship with the University of Chicago hospital and a potential new job opportunity.
The night of July 15, LaShaya Stine was mentally preparing for that job interview the next day. When her mother, Sabrina Jones, went to bed that evening, LaShaya was still in the house. The next morning, when Sabrina went to wake her daughter for her job interview, she realized Sabrina was gone. Sabrina grabbed the phone and called her daughter’s cell number, but the line went straight to voicemail. The family combed the neighborhood looking for her, but turned up nothing. That’s when the family contacted the authorities and filed a missing person report.
Unfortunately, the investigators at the time treated LaShaya’s case as that of a runaway. It’s not uncommon, when a missing person case gets labeled as a “runaway” case, that investigators will be slow to act or less than thorough when it comes to following up with leads. Another case might be prioritized over a “runaway” case because it deals with a subject who doesn’t want to be found. It wasn’t until a week after her disappearance was reported that the police chief put a new set of eyes on the case.
CCTV footage near LaShaya’s home revealed that she was out walking along East Montview Boulevard around 2:30 am. When investigators showed the footage to her mother, Sabrina Jones said that it was likely her daughter had gone to meet someone, and had every intention to return to the house—seeing as how all of her personal effects, including her wallet and cell phone, had been left behind. The next logical step was to interview the people in LaShaya’s life, primarily her friends. HOweve,r after multiple interviews with LaShaya’s ex-boyfriend and close friends, police still had not generated any promising leads. Seeing as how the investigators had no proof of foul play, it was extremely difficult for them to move forward.
In the years since LaShaya Stine was reported missing, there have been multiple alleged sightings of LaShaya that corroborate theories that she might have become a victim of sex trafficking, such as her coming and going from motels that were known for facilitating sexwork. The witnesses claimed she was in the custody of a man who might have been transporting her across state lines. One girl who was successfully recovered from sex trafficking claimed to have been trafficked with LaShaya, and described a scar on her chest. Despite police follow up, LaShaya was never found at any of the alleged sightings.
The FBI has joined the search for LaShaya, and the case is still being investigated. If you have any sort of information regarding this case, please contact the Aurora Police Department at 303-739-6164 and Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
The Aurora Police Department, Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and FBI are offering rewards totaling $15,000 for information that helps them find LaShaya.
For the past two weeks, the true-crime world has had its eyes fixated on missing minors, Joshua “J.J.” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, and the mysterious string of deaths that preceded their disappearance. This case of missing children has already taken so many unexpected turns, leaving family, friends, and journalists alike wondering what disturbing new detail will emerge yet.
The
last confirmed sighting of J.J. was back in September of 2019, when his
mother, Lori Vallow pulled him out of public school, citing
a new job offer out of state that would require her to move her children as
well. It was not entirely unexpected, as Vallow also cited the recent death of
J.J.’s father as another reason why their family life remained in flux. What
she failed to mention was the fact that J.J.’s father, Charles Vallow, had been
murdered the previous July when her own brother, Alex Cox, shot Charles in
self-defense. She swiftly remarried a man named Chad Daybell, who had also
recently lost his spouse, Tammy Daybell. Both Charles Vallow and Tammy Daybell’s
deaths are currently being investigated as “suspicious” by respective law enforcement
agencies. Lori Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, also died in the weeks following the
shooting death of her husband, but his cause of death has yet to be released.
This spinning vortex of death and loss was further
compounded by the noticeable absence of 17-year-old Tylee and 7-year-old J.J.
It wasn’t until one of their grandparents called authorities requesting a welfare
check that a missing persons investigation was launched. Lori Vallow and Chad
Daybell fled the area following the execution of the search warrant and were
finally tracked down in late January on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Vallow
was instructed to produce her children by January 30th or face criminal
charges. January 30th came and went, and still no word from J.J. or
Tylee.
Now, additional warrants executed by authorities have revealed
another disturbing detail. According to the EastIdahoNews, investigators have discovered
a storage locker in Rexburg, Idaho listed in Lori Vallow’s name. The
storage locker contained items that law enforcement strongly believe belonged
to the two children, including photo albums, bicycles, scooters, and winter
clothing.
Seventeen-year-old Tylee’s cell phone was also found in Lori Vallow’s possession when authorities finally tracked them down in Hawaii, without their missing children. Police were able to determine that the phone had been used several times since September when the children were last seen, though it is difficult to say by whom.
J.J.’s autism required the use of a service dog, primarily
for sleeping soundly through the night. A dog trainer based in Arizona has come
forward with startling information, “I was surprised and shocked when I got the
call from Lori that she needed to re-home the dog.” Her only explanation was
that her husband had recently passed and the family was moving to Idaho.
J.J. is described as a white male with brown hair and brown eyes, standing at 4′0″ and weighing 50 pounds. He also goes by J.J. and may be in need of medical attention. Tylee is described as a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, standing at 5′0″ and weighing 160 pounds.
Anyone with information about the children is asked to call
Rexburg police at 208-359-3000 or report it to the National Center for Missing
and Exploited Children.
With a trail of suspicious deaths, Monster Mom has failed to show up in an Idaho court to prove her missing children are alive.
(Joshua “JJ” Vallow and his sister Tylee have been missing from Idaho since September 2019.)
Police say the mother of two missing kids, who was found vacationing in Hawaii earlier in the week, failed to show up to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW), as directed by the court.
On January 25, 2019, Kauai police pulled over Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell near a beach resort in Princeville, Hawaii, searching them and their car for any evidence of Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and his sister Tylee Ryan, 17, who have been missing since September.
Though Daybell and Vallow were not arrested, police served a court order from Idaho, directing her to bring the children to the DHW by January 30, or face legal action.
Joshua’s grandparents, who have been waiting for the children’s safe return have been trying to hold on to hope, but now that hope is dwindling.
(Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell never reported their children missing. Tylee and Joshua have not been seen since September.)
A Bizarre Twist
The bizarre case began last July, after Vallow’s fourth husband, Charles Vallow was shot and killed by her brother, Alex Cox, during an argument at their home in Arizona. At the time, Cox said the shooting was in self-defense, but the case remains under investigation. In December, Cox also died, but the cause of death is unknown at this time. Police in Gilbert, Arizona, continue to investigate his death and waiting for toxicology results.
Vallow moved to eastern Idaho with the children a month after her husband’s death and married Daybell. Only weeks earlier, his wife Tammy, died of what authorities initially listed as natural causes.
The Children’s Disappearance
The extended family grew concerned because they had not had contact with Tylee and Joshua who has special needs. Rexburg Police Department in Idaho says the children have not been seen since September, but Vallow never reported them missing.
Vallow and Daybell skipped town but left the children’s belongings at their home, causing significant concern of whether the children are still alive.
Responding to the family’s fears, police went to Vallow’s home to ask about the children. Vallow told authorities that the kids were staying with relatives in Arizona – a claim that authorities quickly found out was not true. Police returned to Vallow’s home the next day and found they had skipped town.
(Chad and Tammy Daybell prior to her suspicious death in 2019.)
Body Exhumed
Meanwhile, authorities were beginning to question Tammy Daybell’s death. In December, Fremont County Sheriff worked with Utah authorities, where Tammy Daybell’s body was buried, to exhume her body for an autopsy and toxicology tests.
Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries told reporters that investigators searched Chad Daybell’s residence early in January, and removed 43 items to include phones, computers, medications, and journals. Humphries said, at this time, Chad Daybell remains a person of interest in Tammy’s death and the disappearance of Vallow’s children.
Ten days before Tammy’s death, a masked man approached her in her driveway and shot at her several times with a paintball gun. She filed a report with the Fremont County Sheriff who investigated the claim.
Daybell passed away on October 19, 2019. On October 9, she went on a neighborhood Facebook group and described what happened.
“Something really weird just happened, and I want you to know so you can watch out,” Daybell wrote. “I had gotten home and parked in our front driveway. As I was getting stuff out of the back seat, a guy wearing a ski mask was suddenly standing by the back of my car with a paintball gun. He shot at me several times, although I don’t think it was loaded. I yelled for Chad and he ran off around the back of my house.”
“Our deputy went out there and investigated the report, but he was unable to find anything,” Sheriff Humphries said.
(Larry and Kay Woodcock, Joshua Vallow’s grandparents offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of siblings Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan. Photo courtesy of ABC News.)
Reward Offered
Joshua Vallow’s grandparents, Larry and Kay Woodcock, announced they were offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of the children earlier this month. The Woodcock’s say they believe Charles Vallow was murdered. They also told reporters her ex-husband was so worried that she would kill him that he obtained an Order of Protection.
“We strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee’s lives are in danger,” said Rexburg police in a statement earlier this month.
Kay Woodcock said she last spoke to her grandson on August 10, and that the conversation only lasted 36 seconds. She said it seemed like he was looking at someone off-camera who directing him.
“J.J. is my heart,” Larry said. “I’m hoping this will allow one person to simply say ‘I saw (him). I know where he’s at.’ And give us that information so we can bring J.J. and Tylee back.”
Heartbroken, Larry Woodcock and his wife have also set up a website called FindJJandTylee.com.
During a press conference, the Woodcocks were asked if they believed their grandchildren were dead.
“We want to believe that they are alive, and that’s the reason for the reward,” Larry replied. “It’s the reason, we don’t say, the ‘D’ word. We’re not going to because we hope and pray these kids are alive.”
Witnesses reported to police that Lori told others that Tylee died in 2017, and Chad told others that Lori had no minor children. Both statements very far from the truth.
“It sends chills up our spines, Kay Woodcock said.” That’s just what brought it home for us. ‘Oh, my God, this is something really bad.’”
(The court demanded Lori Vallow to present her missing children, Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan, to the court on January 30, 2019.)
Child Protection Order
Idaho authorities initiated a child-protection action on behalf of the missing children and obtained a court order to force Vallow to present the children to authorities within 5 days.
“We can confirm that Lori Vallow was served with that order in the city of Princeville on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, on Saturday, January 25th, by the Kauai Police Department and that Chad Daybell was with her,” Rexburg police said in a statement.
“We can further confirm that Tylee and J.J. were not with Lori and Chad and there is no evidence that Tylee and J.J. were ever in Hawaii.”
When Vallow and Daybell were pulled over and their car seized, an East Idaho News reporter was on the scene. He asked Vallow where her children are and she responded, “No comment.” When he told her that people across the country are praying for her children, she responded, “That’s great,” and refused additional questions.
(Colby Ryan, Lori Vallow’s eldest son makes a plea to his mother to return his missing siblings.)
A Son’s Plea
On January 5, 2020, Lori Vallow’s older son made an emotional plea in a video he posted to his YouTube channel telling her to reveal information about where his missing sister Tylee, and little brother Joshua are.
“I can’t tell you how hurt and frustrated and confused I am about what’s going on,” Vallow’s oldest son, Colby Ryan said. “Even if you just show them on Facetime. Just show them on Facetime to the police it would be a lot better.”
He went on to say, “I don’t know what else I can tell you to do than to know that this is just the right thing to do.”
Relatives of Vallow all say she began to change when she joined a religious group believed to be extreme. Her son no longer recognizes his mother. “We had a life and it seems like that life never existed at this point Ryan said.
Ryan and Tylee’s father, Joseph Ryan, passed away from a heart attack during 2018.
(Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow were reportedly members of a Doomsday Cult in Idaho.)
Doomsday Cult
Daybell has authored several books on near-death experiences and doomsday scenarios that have been promoted to Mormon audiences.
Lori and Charles Vallow had lived in Kauai for several years before moving to Arizona. She became obsessed with Daybell’s books and connected with the author.
In divorce documents filed by Charles Vallow last February claimed that Lori believed she was a “translated being” and “a god assigned her to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ’s second coming in July 2020.”
Daybell has similar beliefs and a member of a fringe “doomsday cult” claiming in podcasts and blog posts that he has had near-death experiences that allowed him to have visions of the future. He wrote about the apocalypse in one of his books based on the Church for Latter-day Saints theology.
Other books talk about shocking pandemics, hurricanes, civil unrest, and even a Chinese bioterrorism attack.
Vallow and Daybell did “Preparing A People” podcasts made by Color My Media, a small multi-media company who wrote in a December 26, 2019, statement:
*Chad Daybell was an author and began publishing books over 20 years ago under the name of “Spring Creek Book Company.” He spoke at some of the “Preparing A People” events, but had no ownership in it, nor was he a founder. Mr. Daybell was simply one of many speakers at the events. His last speaking engagement was back in February of 2019, in Boise, Idaho. Like all of our speakers, we helped promote the events by interviewing and podcasting interviews with our speakers, including, but in no way exclusively to, Mr. Daybell.
Local, state and federal authorities are still searching for the Vallow children.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan, please call the Rexburg Police Department at 208-359-3000 or 1-800-843-5678.
