On the second day in the trial of an Idaho “doomsday mom” accused of killing her two children, a detective on Tuesday testified about the grisly discovery of the bodies of the two children found buried in a makeshift cemetery in the family’s backyard, USA Today reports.
Lori Vallow Daybell, 49, was charged with murder, conspiracy and grand theft. She faces life in prison if convicted.
Her husband, Chad Daybell, who will be tried separately, could face the death penalty if convicted.
Both have pleaded not guilty.
They are accused of killings of 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow, and Tylee Ryan, 16.
Prosecutors showed images of the children’s remains on Tuesday. They allege the couple killed their children over doomsday-motivated religious beliefs.
The case is the subject of a Netflix docuseries.
Rexburg Police Detective Ray Hermosillo on Tuesday testified that authorities found JJ’s body buried under a tree and bound with duct tape and covered in plastic.
Tylee’s body was burned, and a mass of blood and tissue was found in a partially melted plastic bucket that was buried in a section of the couple’s backyard it called the “pet cemetery,” according to Hermosillo.
Hermosillo described a horrific search for the bodies in which officers on their "hands and knees" while digging up one of the decomposing bodies.
"We had to take turns digging because the smell was so bad," he said.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the accused as Lori Valley Daybell.
