1:55
- ABC News
- February 21, 2020
Inside the mysterious case of 2 missing children
The deaths of two spouses preceded the children's disappearance.
1:55
An attorney for Vallow and Daybell, Sean Bartholick, called her a \"devoted mother\" who \"resents assertions to the contrary,\" according to a statement issued last week and obtained by ABC News.
Bartholick said Daybell was \"a loving husband\" who has the support of his children in this matter.
\"We look forward to addressing the allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor,\" Bartholick said in his statement.
The attorney did not respond to ABC News' questions as to where the two are and said he had no additional comment.
Family members of Vallow and Daybell urged them to come forward for the sake of Joshua and Tylee.
Matt Daybell, Chad Daybell's older brother, issued a statement Friday saying he was \"deeply saddened\" at the recent events.
\"It is our hope and prayer that JJ and Tylee are safe. We want for the truth to be found -- whatever that truth turns out to be,\" according to the statement provided to ABC News.
When it was discovered that Vallow and Daybell were in Kauai, Hawaii, Vallow's older son, Colby Ryan, pleaded with her to come home and do what was right. His plea came a day after she failed to bring the children to authorities in Idaho, as she had been ordered to do by authorities.
\"I want you to step up more than anything in the world,\" Ryan said in a video posted to YouTube on Jan. 31. \"Step up and just do the right thing.\"
Arrest is made
Nearly a month after the two were spotted in Kauai, Vallow was arrested by police there on a warrant issued from authorities Madison County, Idaho. She is facing multiple charges, including two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, according to police.
She is being held on $5 million bail in a Kauai jail. She is expected to appear in court there to have an opportunity to waive or fight her extradition to Idaho, where she will face her criminal charges. A date for that hearing hasn't yet been set.
Daybell was not arrested. When spotted by an ABC News reporter in Hawaii, he did not respond to repeated questions.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/Lori-Vallow-ht-flt-ps-200221_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Larry Woodcock, the biological grandfather of JJ, told ABC News Vallow's arrest came with mixed emotions.
\"We know it's a positive step forward,\" he said. \"We also know that as good as this news is, is as bad as it is also because we still don't have children.\"
ABC News' Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
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