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SALEM, Idaho — Several of Chad Daybell’s neighbors have shared their observations of strange activity in his backyard after his two stepchildren went missing in September 2019.
Authorities arrested Daybell June 9 after serving a search warrant at his Idaho home. After the arrest, Idaho police announced there were human remains discovered on the property. At a bail hearing the next day, prosecutor Ron Wood confirmed that the remains belonged to two children.
Later Wednesday, family members of Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow confirmed the remains belonged to the missing children.
Neighbors said Daybell had multiple bonfires in his yard between the time the kids went missing and when he was arrested.
Related:
'Just unthinkable': Neighbors respond to discovery of human remains on Daybell property
The discovery of the remains buried behind Chad Daybell’s home was heartbreaking news for people throughout the Rexburg area.“They had a big bonfire in the fall, not long after (Chad Daybell’s former wife) Tammy had died,” said neighbor Matt Price, who described Daybell as lacking in emotion and “very odd” after Tammy Daybell died apparently in her sleep.
Price was not the only neighbor to notice the flames, and he said investigators were searching the areas in Daybell’s yard where the fires had been burning.
“This year, they had two really big fires that we noticed, probably less than a month ago,” Price said.
He said he shared the information with authorities, and police said it helped them secure the search warrant.
However, the probable cause statement with details on what exactly led detectives to Daybell’s yard and exactly what they found remains sealed to the public.
