Children of Darkness and Light: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and the Story of a Murderous Faith

In this gripping work of true crime, a criminal lawyer takes readers inside the notorious Lori Vallow case and the devastating "doomsday murders."

A blonde beauty queen, missing children, six suspicious deaths, and the twisted Mormon doomsday writings of her fifth husband are only the beginning of a tragic crime saga that gripped Americans and instigated frantic searches all over the country.

It all started when Lori Vallow met Chad Daybell at a doomsday prepper event. Their story grew like a wildfire that creates its own weather, and what happened next will shock even the most experienced true crime reader.

Clinging to and manipulating one another, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell believed the return of Jesus Christ was imminent and that God had chosen them to lead the 144,000 and usher in the new millennium. When the people closest to them began dying, it became clear they would stop at nothing to be together and fulfill their mission. When the bodies of Lori's missing children — J.J. and Tylee — were discovered in Chad's backyard, the strange and complex story of their fundamentalist Mormon beliefs were revealed in all their true horror.

Author Lori Hellis, a retired criminal lawyer, had just moved to Arizona when news of J.J. and Tylee's disappearance broke, and there were reports about these missing children that linked them to a neighboring community. She began to follow the case closely, trying to understand this perfect storm of people and circumstances that culminated in the death of innocents. In Children of Darkness and Light, Hellis digs deep into the investigation, trial, and verdict to craft a haunting narrative that illuminates one of the most confounding crimes in recent memory.

"Retired attorney Lori Hellis delves into 2019's 'doomsday murders' in this shocking work of true crime….Readers will be horrified." Publishers Weekly

"There are big questions at play in these pages: How do two seemingly normal people become mass murderers? And what separates us from them? That line may be frighteningly thin. Lori Hellis dives into Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell's madness with the care and efficiency of a fine storyteller. The writing is sharp and engaging and she never loses sight of Tyler and JJ or the other victims caught up in this couple's depravity and delusion." James Renner, author of Little, Crazy People

"To fathom, let alone unravel, the infamous Vallow-Daybell case requires a working knowledge of law, psychology, and Mormon doctrine. Author Lori Hellis delivers with aplomb. A retired criminal law attorney who (lucky for us) also happens to be a skillful writer, Hellis brings this complex, outrageous story to life within its religious and legal framework. Children of Darkness and Light is as riveting as it is harrowing." Steve Cuno, author of Behind the Mormon Curtain: Selling Sex in America's Holy City

Lori Hellis practiced criminal and family law until she retired from practice to devote time to writing. During her legal career, Lori worked both as a prosecutor and a public defender representing adults and juveniles in criminal matters; she served twenty years in the Air National Guard and has been a passionate advocate for children, victims of domestic violence, and veterans.