JJ Vallow’s biological mother, who was found buried in a shallow grave in Idaho near the charred remains of his older sister Tylee Ryan, 16, is believed to have died of the “agony” of losing her son – just months before the long-awaited murder trial.
Mandy Leger died of natural causes in June 2022 at the age of 46 at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital in Louisiana. After losing custody of her son, she spent the years leading up to her death trying to get him back.
Leger gave birth to JJ née Canaan Trahan on May 25, 2012. She and JJ’s biological father, Todd Trahan, both suffered from drug problems and JJ was born addicted to drugs.
JJ was adopted by Lori and Charles Vallow – JJ’s uncle – in 2013, just before his first birthday, and his name was changed to Joshua Jaxton Vallow.
The seven-year-old’s adoptive mother and her fifth husband, doomsday author Chad Daybell, are accused of killing the boy, his sister and others as part of a twisted conspiracy fueled by their religious beliefs.
Mandy Leger, the biological mother of JJ Vallow – who was found buried in a shallow grave in Idaho near the charred remains of his older sister Tylee Ryan, 16 – reportedly died of the “agony” of losing her son – only Months before the long-awaited murder trial
Leger (right) gave birth to JJ née Canaan Trahan (pictured) on May 25, 2012. She and JJ’s biological father Todd Trahan (left) both suffered from substance abuse problems and JJ was born a drug addict
Pictures posted to Leger’s Facebook page give a glimpse of the relationship between her and the boy. The 46-year-old appeared in several posts gushed about her newborn and smiled.
Trahan’s parents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, were the first to temporarily raise JJ as a baby before the Vallows took him in and took full custody to raise him in Arizona as their own.
Sources close to the family told the US Sun that Leger’s father and stepmother had asked to foster JJ in hopes of keeping him in Louisiana, but were turned away by local Child Protective Services (CPS) officials.
Trahan’s father also tried unsuccessfully to foster the boy, while Leger had visitation rights for the first six months of JJ’s life.
After relapsing, she was ordered to go to rehab before having access to her son again, a source told the US Sun, but before she could complete the program, JJ’s adoption was complete.
“She went above and beyond to have a relationship with this baby,” the source said.
“She was adamant that if she worked on herself she could have a relationship with him one day, but she never got that chance.”
Friends told the outlet that losing custody took a significant toll on Leger and when the seven-year-old with autism went missing in November 2019, weeks after he was last seen alive, Leger had been looking for ways to get her son return.
Investigators believe that JJ was already dead by this point.
According to the US Sun, JJ was last seen in September 2022 in Idaho in the arms of his uncle Alex Cox, the following day Vallow contacted JJ’s elementary school and said the boy would not be returning and would be homeschooled instead.
Vallow’s children, Tylee and JJ, disappeared in September 2019, but their remains were not discovered for another 10 months
It is alleged that the Vallow (left) and her husband Chad Daybell (right) were convinced that JJ, Tylee and Tammy – Daybell’s wife of 30 years – were all possessed by dark spirits and the only way to save them from their ” “Freeing” demons was killing them
Flowers and balloons line the fence around the Salem, Idaho property of Chad Daybell, who was arrested on charges related to JJ and Tylee’s disappearance
His sister Tylee also disappeared without a trace a few days before JJ was last seen while on a family vacation in Yellowstone National Park on September 8 of the same year.
Law enforcement attempted to gain access to the children, which Vallow refused each time. In one instance, she fled to Hawaii with Daybell – whose 30-year-old wife died suddenly in her sleep. Police initially thought the death was natural but now claim it could have been caused by asphyxiation.
Vallow’s estranged husband Charles was shot dead by Cox in July 2019 – he claimed self-defense and died of natural causes in December.
Daybell and Vallow were made people interested in JJ and Tylee’s disappearance that same month, as investigators believed the children’s lives were in danger.
On January 25, 2020, police told Vallow that she had five days to produce JJ and Tylee or she would be arrested. She was arrested in Hawaii on February 20 and held on $5 million bail.
Just four months later, after Vallow insisted the children had been staying with a “friend” in Arizona, authorities made the grisly discovery of JJ and Tylee after authorities obtained a search warrant for Daybell’s Rexburg home.
Seven-year-old JJ’s decomposing body, wrapped in plastic and tape, was discovered near a pet cemetery on the property’s grounds. His sister was found dismembered and burned.
After hearing of her son’s death, a source told the outlet that Leger was “completely devastated.”
Another source suggested the 46-year-old’s death was directly linked to the “fear” and “stress” of losing JJ.
“She had so much guilt … but her belief system was that one day she could be with her son again, and I think she took comfort in that,” the source said.
Vallow is currently on trial for first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand larceny in connection with the grisly deaths of JJ and Tylee.
Tylee disappeared without a trace a few days before JJ – last seen while on a family vacation in Yellowstone National Park on September 8 of the same year. The two children are pictured with their uncle Alex Cox
The “charred remains” of Tylee Ryan, 16, and the decomposing remains of JJ Vallow, 7, were found in the backyard of Vallow and Daybell’s Rexburg home
The key people in Lori Vallow’s tangled family tree, including her five husbands, two dead children and murderous brother Alex Cox
She is also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, as well as related financial crimes.
Prosecutors allege the couple conspired with Cox to murder the trio as part of a lunatic and fanatical doomsday belief.
Daybell and Vallow, who are believed to be members of a radical cult, reportedly believe in a “light and dark rating system” to assess the purity of the spirits of those around them, prosecutors said.
It is alleged that the pair were convinced that JJ, Tylee and Tammy were all possessed by dark spirits and the only way to rid them of their “demons” was to kill them.
Graphic images of a decomposing JJ were shown to jurors Tuesday, while investigators said Tylee’s body was so badly burned that it was difficult to determine a cause of death.
Daybell is also charged with the murders of Tammy, Tylee and JJ. The pair were due to stand trial together, but their cases were separated by a judge last month.
Vallow’s trial is expected to last eight weeks.