Worthington: Daybell/Vallow story among craziest I’ve ever covered

By Rick Worthington
1/30/2020

I’ve covered some pretty strange cases in my time doing news. The Daybell/Vallow story ranks right up there with the most wild things I’ve ever tried to cover – let alone try to explain to people.

Look, I’ve covered some big stories.

I was on the air in Reno at KKOH radio the morning Jaycee Dugard was found alive. That was pretty big since Lake Tahoe, her home, was in our coverage area. After 18 years, she was rescued from the two monsters who kidnapped her at age 11. She even had 2 children during her captivity, fathered by her abductor, Phillip Garrido.

The Scott and Laci Peterson story was one I had to endure as a reporter in the Sacramento area. The Peterson couple lived in Modesto, California, which put that national story in our lap at KFBK radio. Scott Peterson is still a guest of the California Department of Corrections on 1st degree murder charges.

Here in Boise, since I’ve been here, I think the takeover of the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge and the standoff by Ammon Bundy and friends is the biggest story I’ve done. It certainly is the one I have taken the most calls about in this newsroom from other news outlets.

Back to the Daybell/Vallow story. I think this one may have more to offer (as a news story) in terms of interesting storylines. It’s a story that includes some pretty “grabbing” subject matter:

**Missing children
**Complete disregard for children’s whereabouts or safety
**Multiple dead spouses
**A Dead sibling who killed one of those spouses
**Religious cults
**Someone who calls themself “a god preparing for the second coming of Christ”
**Running from the law
**Lying to police and family members
**Being found months later at a vacation resort
**Spanning the states of Idaho, Arizona, Hawaii and to a much lesser extent – Utah

Hey – that is just the highlights, folkls! That doesn’t get anywhere close to all the drama this story has. And to top it all off – these two people (Chad and Lori Vallow) still have not been charged with a crime!

Stay tuned…