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JANUARY 4-17, 2020 | WWW.SANTANSUN.COM
Chandler deaths tied to cult mystery
BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
A former Chandler woman left behind a trail of bodies as authorities attempt to trace the whereabouts of her and her two children amid speculation about her connection to a doomsday cult. The FBI is on the lookout for 46-yearold former Chandler resident Lori Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, after the couple abruptly fled their Idaho home last month. Local authorities had been checking on the welfare of Vallow’s two children since no one had seen or spoken to the juveniles for months. Now all four family members are
missing and have left their relatives confused as to where they may have gone. Some have speculated Vallow’s joined a mysterious cult, while others are hopeful no foul play has taken place. Three people connected to Vallow and Daybell have all died within the last few months. One was shot to death at a residence in Chandler. A death in Gilbert is still under investigation. Charles Vallow, the missing mother’s ex-husband, was killed during a domestic dispute on July 11 in the 5500 block of South Four Peaks Place. According to Chandler Police, Vallow came to Chandler to pick up his son from Lori. Once he arrived, an argument
ensued and Lori’s brother, Alexander Cox, intervened by shooting Vallow dead. Chandler Police determined back in July Cox acted in self-defense and chose not to arrest him. Cox died on Dec. 12 in Gilbert after police found him unresponsive at his home. His cause of death won’t be determined until an autopsy is completed, according to the Gilbert Police Department. Cox died the day after authorities in Idaho opened an investigation into the death of Daybell’s former wife. On Dec. 11, the body of Tammy Daybell, 49, was exhumed for an autopsy. Investigators initially suspected Daybell
died of natural causes on Oct. 19 at her home in Fremont County, Idaho. Within a couple weeks of Tammy’s death, authorities claim, her husband married Lori Vallow – sparking the suspicions of local investigators. The couple’s relatives started to become concerned around this time after they lost contact with Vallow’s two children – 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua Vallow. According to the Rexburg Police Department in Idaho, the couple began misinforming others Vallow’s daughter had died a couple years prior or they didn’t See
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Family rescues fatal accident victim’s brother Busy year – and BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
Maria Armendariz once asked her friend Georgi Stratton a special favor in case anything happened to her. The 38-year-old Chandler woman asked Stratton if she would look after her brother Michael in the event Armendariz could no longer care for his special needs. She didn’t want her 44-year-old brother placed in a group home, where he wouldn’t know anyone and would be considered a ward of the state. Stratton was unexpectedly presented with this prospect on Dec. 18 after Armendariz was killed in a traffic accident. Armendariz, mother to a 14-year-old daughter, was out early that morning walking her dog when she was hit by a semi-truck as it was backing out of a driveway on Ray Road. Armendariz was then hit by another vehicle before she was pronounced deceased. Her untimely death devastated Stratton, who considered Armendariz a member of her own family. “She became so ingrained in our lives,” said Stratton, a real estate agent in the East Valley area. Stratton met Armendariz’s mother years ago at church and the two quickly became best friends. She came to think of Maria and Michael almost as her own children. When the mother died nine years ago, Stratton said Armendariz immediately stepped in to be Michael’s primary
“She was like Mother Theresa,” Stratton said. The Armendariz family didn’t have a lot of money, so it was up to Maria to find ways to support her family on her own. Stratton described her friend as spunky, independent, and resourceful – someone who would never ask for handouts, she said. Armendariz’s sudden death feels all the more tragic because it seemed like she was energized and excited for the future, Stratton said. She had started exercising more and lost about 40 pounds during the last couple months of her life. “She was on a mission to make life awesome for her and her family,” Stratton said. Shortly after hearing of Armendariz’s death, Stratton got together with Michael Armendariz of Chandler lost his sister/caretaker to a horrible her adult daughters and traffic accident, but her best friend Georgi Stratton came to his rescue. they decided to officially (Chris Mortenson/Staff Photographer) make Michael part of their family. caregiver. He had initially been taken to live Armendariz was always a selfless with Armendariz’s ex-boyfriend since person, Stratton said, putting her brother and daughter first before herself. See on page 4
a busy decade – confront Chandler BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
The arrival of a new decade has Chandler’s elected leaders thinking about how best to invest its resources to allow the city to manage its continuous growth. Chandler’s population grew by about 9 percent over the last 10 years and there are signs the city will continue attracting new residents during the next decade. Chandler Unified is building a new high school, the city added 1,700 new housing units in the last fiscal year and companies will soon be moving their headquarters to Chandler. To accommodate this growth, city leaders will be prioritizing maintenance of Chandler’s aging infrastructure as it tackles the 2020 budget. Planning documents show the city is proposing significant capital investments to maintaining streets, parks, utilities and technology. The city currently has to maintain 50 public buildings, a fleet of 270 vehicles, 28,000 street lights and 933 miles of sewer lines. Aging infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges Chandler will have to overcome in the new year, according to Matt Burdick, a city spokesman. A recent transportation study by the
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F E AT U R E STO R I E S Chandler engineer takes on state regulators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Community . . . . Page 8 Chandler wedding venue stiffs couples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Business . . . . . . . Page 25 Chandler woman starts unique dog rescue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Neighbors . . . . . Page 43 Chandler film festival attracting stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Arts . . . . . . . . . . . Page 51 Chandler pizza couple expanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eat . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 60
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