Major update in the Lori Vallow case as judge makes huge decision about her murder trial

"CULT mom" Lori Vallow's murder case has been suspended over concerns about her competency, according to a shock ruling handed down by a judge.

Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, are facing murder charges after the remains of two of Vallow's children were found on Daybell's property.

A judge announced on Thursday that Vallow’s case is suspended until her competency can be determined, which means the January murder trial is now vacated.

The Idaho district court's announcement comes after a judge previously ruled that she was mentally fit to stand trial.

The so-called doomsday cult mother was recently seen smirking in court in August during a hearing before her capital murder trial for allegedly killing her two children, Tylee and JJ.

Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, vanished in September 2019.

The 48-year-old hairdresser was arrested in Hawaii in February 2020 after failing to produce proof of life for her missing kids to the Madison County Prosecutor's Office.

The children's bodies were found at Chad's Idaho home on June 9 of the same year.

The couple never reported them missing and jetted off to Hawaii soon after investigators questioned them about the children.

Lori's family members have accused her of being part of a "doomsday cult" with her husband.

Chad, a preacher, has also been charged with the first-degree murder of Lori's children and could face the death penalty if convicted.

He is also accused of the murder of his former wife, Tammy Daybell, 49, who died under "suspicious circumstances" in 2019.

He has since pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is being held without bail while he awaits trial.

HAUNTING FOOTAGE

The couple reportedly told people that Tylee was dead and claimed she had no other younger children, despite having an older son Colby.

Colby Ryan, who has spoken to The U.S. Sun about his tumultuous life, once revealed his desire to kill his mother, saying that she was "100 percent" responsible for "taking my family away."

This comes after surveillance footage unearthed in February appeared to show Lori dumping children's items at a storage facility the year prior, around the time she and Chad fled to Hawaii.

Authorities in Idaho say that there’s no sign that JJ and Tylee Ryan ever made it to Hawaii.

The "charred remains" of Lori's children were found wrapped in plastic bags buried in a pet cemetery on her husband Chad's property, a court previously heard.

She's also been connected to the mysterious deaths of three people, including her alleged hitman brother.

TWISTED SIBLINGS

Lori's brother Alex Cox was also believed to be involved in the murders but escaped charges after his sudden death in December 2019, which was reported to be the result of "natural causes" spurred by high blood pressure and blood clots wedged in his lungs.

Friends of the "cult mom" said that when she would say "jump," her sibling would ask: "How high?"

Alex had reportedly developed an obsession with Lori from an early age, possibly to an incestual degree.

While the true extent of the siblings' bond may never be known, whatever obsession Cox had for Lori saw him shoot her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, dead in July 2019.

Cox claimed at the time that he had acted in self-defense after Charles came at him with a baseball bat.

Police initially ruled that Cox acted in self-defense but the case was reopened when JJ and Tylee were reported missing in November 2019.

Now, prosecutors say Cox killed Charles Vallow at the direction of Lori.

HEARTBREAKING LAST WORDS

In late September, JJ's grandmother Kay Woodcock recalled the heartbreaking last conversation she had with the young boy.

In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, she also revealed the five treasured voicemails she keeps from JJ, who was autistic.

In his final voicemail, he left his grandmother a sweet message saying: “Hi! This is JJ. I was just calling to say I love you. Okay, got to go. Bye!"

Kay said that she desperately pleaded with Lori via text and email for information about JJ's whereabouts after the boy went missing, but her persistent inquiries went unanswered.

"I was so convinced she had them in a commune in Utah somewhere, with one of those extreme fringe groups that she and Chad were a part of," Woodcock told the Sun.

"There’s no way I could accept the fact he was dead just because we couldn’t find him."

Kay's worst nightmares would tragically become a reality when JJ and Tylee's bodies were discovered.

"We've found two bodies and we believe they're JJ and Tylee," Kay remembers the prosecutor telling her.

"We still have to do a DNA test but we're pretty sure it's them."

Kay told The U.S. Sun that she's looking forward to getting justice for JJ and finally putting the immeasurable heartbreak of the last three years behind her.

Remembering her grandson, she said: "When I think of JJ, I think of joy.

"We miss him every day."