Human remains found at Idaho home of Chad Daybell, who’s charged with destroying evidence

UPDATE: Chad Daybell was booked into the Fremont County Jail at 5:21 p.m., according to online records. He was arrested and charged with destruction or concealment of evidence, hours after he was taken into custody.

Mark Means, Daybell’s attorney, declined to comment on the arrest.

The original story appears below:

Human remains have been found on the property of Chad Daybell, stepfather to a pair of Idaho children missing since last September, and he has been taken into police custody.

The remains were found after authorities issued a search warrant at the Daybell home on 1900 East in Fremont County on Tuesday morning.

Rexburg Police Chief Shane Turman, Assistant Chief Gary Hagen and Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries held a brief news conference Tuesday afternoon and confirmed the discovery of the remains, but said they have not been identified. They said Daybell was taken into custody for questioning. He was later charged.

Multiple witnesses told EastIdahoNews.com that they saw several officers pull Daybell over near his home at around 11:30 a.m. He was wearing a baseball cap, gray button-up shirt and blue jeans. Witnesses say he got out of his silver SUV, was placed in handcuffs and then put into a police car. His vehicle was towed.

Fremont County deputies, Rexburg Police officers and the FBI arrived at Daybell’s home at around 7 a.m., authorities said. The warrant from the Rexburg Police Department is sealed so it is unknown what information officers were seeking.

The EastIdahoNews.com helicopter flew over the property and spotted a backhoe in the backyard, blue canopies, tarps and a dog.

FBI spokeswoman Sandra Barker confirmed that the agency’s Evidence Response Team is assisting Madison County.

Numerous roads around the home were closed and drivers were rerouted. The media was asked to remain in a staging area, and police have said they could be on the scene for multiple days.

This is the second major search performed at the Daybell home. Law enforcement removed 43 items from the house during a multi-agency raid on Jan. 3. Officers searched a shed and used metal detectors, probes and rakes to go over several portions of the yard.

Tammy Daybell, Chad’s first wife, died suddenly at the Salem house in October. Chad and his new wife, Lori Vallow Daybell, are being investigated by the Idaho Attorney General’s Office for possible conspiracy, attempted murder and murder in connection to the death. Lori Daybell’s two children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, have been missing since September, and Lori is in the Madison County Jail on two counts of desertion and nonsupport of a dependent child.

This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 9:02 AM.