No one has seen 7-year-old JJ Vallow or 17-year-old Tylee Ryan since September. The kids, with ties to the Valley, disappeared after their mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, moved from from Arizona to Idaho last fall.
And now, the case is approaching a heartbreaking yet hopeful milestone.
Monday, May 25 will be JJ's 8th birthday, and his grandparents hope to send him love wherever he may be.
In a video statement, JJ's grandmother Kay Woodcock asks people following their story to put JJ's picture as their profile photo on social media Sunday to honor JJ and share his smile.
"Happy birthday, Joshua Jaxon Vallow," Kay says in the video. "Maw maw and Paw Paw love you."
Kay and her husband Larry were the first to sound the alarm after the children went missing. They say they weren't able to get a hold of Lori for months and asked Gilbert police to perform a welfare check in November.
Police eventually found Lori in Idaho but no sign of JJ or Tylee. The investigation that followed revealed that Tylee was last seen September 8 at Yellowstone National Park and JJ was last seen in Rexburg, Idaho on September 23.
Court records say Lori moved the children to Idaho from Arizona in early September after her brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed her estranged husband Charles Vallow in July. That case is still under investigation.
Shortly after the children disappeared, Lori married Rexburg doomsday author Chad Daybell in Hawaii. Their wedding happened roughly two weeks after Chad's wife Tammy died under suspicious circumstances.
In December, Lori's brother Alex passed away at his home in Gilbert. The Medical Examiner ruled his death to be from natural causes.
In February, Lori was arrested in Hawaii for defying a court order out of Idaho to produce her children. She's been in jail in Rexburg since early March, refusing to tell investigators what happened or where her children might be.
"We’re always thinking of JJ," Kay says in the video. "It never goes away."
As bleak as things might seem, Kay and Larry remain hopeful. Kay says they're home in Louisiana is ready for JJ's return.
"He has his little stuffed animal friends. They’re still awaiting for their favorite drummer JJ to return and perform another concert for him."
Back in March, during Lori's first bond hearing, Kay and Larry wore special leis for both Tylee and JJ. They hope to one day give them to the children.
"We look forward to kiss your sweet, beautiful face and hug you tightly," Kay says in the video.
Lori's next court date is an evidentiary hearing set for July 9 and 10.
