A witness testified that a piece of Lori Vallow’s hair was found on duct tape wrapped around her murdered son’s body during her ongoing trial.

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The trial of Lori Vallow has taken a disturbing turn after a witness testified that a piece of her hair was found on duct tape wrapped around the body of her murdered 7-year-old son, JJ Vallow. Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, are currently facing charges in connection with the murders of Vallow’s two children, JJ and Tylee Ryan, as well as Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.

According to DNA analyst Keeley Coleman, the partial DNA profile taken from the hair found on the duct tape matched the DNA profile of Lori Vallow Daybell. The hair had been found wrapped around JJ’s body when investigators found him buried on Daybell’s property in June 2020. The probability of randomly selecting an individual with the same DNA profile as the hair is 1 in 71 billion, Coleman said.

The analyst also testified that the hair had been found on duct tape in the presence of decomposition fluids, indicating that it had been used to bind JJ’s body. When investigators found the children’s remains on Daybell’s rural Idaho property in 2020, JJ’s body was wrapped in tape with a plastic bag over his head, while Tylee’s body was dismembered and badly burned.

Vallow and Daybell are also accused of stealing their children’s Social Security benefits. The pair share apocalyptic religious beliefs and had apparently believed they were destined to marry each other upon meeting at a religious convention discussing the end of the world.

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Vallow’s defense team has argued that she did not actually participate in the murders, but the evidence presented in court has painted a different picture. The couple was indicted in May 2021 on multiple counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception, as well as first-degree murder charges related to the deaths of Tylee, JJ, and Tammy Daybell. In June 2021, Vallow was also indicted in connection with the murder of her ex-husband, Charles Vallow.

The trial has attracted national attention, with many observers shocked by the horrific details of the case. As the trial continues, prosecutors will likely continue to present evidence linking Vallow and Daybell to the murders of their children and Daybell’s ex-wife.