THE sister of "cult mom" Lori Vallow died young of unknown causes, the fifth member of her family to have died suddenly, it has emerged.

Stacey Lynne Cox Cope died in 1998 aged just 31, though very few details about the circumstances are yet known.

Vallow is currently being held over the disappearance of 17-year-old Taylee Ryan and seven-year-old Joshua Vallow, who have not been seen since September.

Following their disappearance, police opened investigations into four people close to Vallow and fifth husband Charles Daybell who died unexpectedly over the last two years.

Vallow is currently being held on charges of desertion and child abandonment, but both she and Daybell could face charges of murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy.

Amid the investigation, Court TV located Stacey's grave in San Antonio, Texas, and found the headstone plastered in dirt and seemed to have been left untended for years.

Attention has also focused on Stacey's daughter, Melani Boudreaux Pawlowski, amid allegations that she, with aunt Vallow, is a member of a religious cult named Preparing A People, whose aim is to ready the Earth for the second coming of Christ.

Pawlowski has further been accused by estranged husband Brandon Boudreaux of last year trying to kill him in a drive-by shooting and of knowing the whereabouts of Vallow's children.

CULT MEMBERS 'KILLED OFF LIKE FLIES'

In court filings made as part of a custody battle between the pair and obtained by Fox10, Brandon states: "Melani is involved in a cult where numerous members, adults and children alike have been being killed off like flies.

He continues: "Melani's knowledge of the whereabouts of her aunt's two missing children and her unwillingness to cooperate with law enforcement is daunting."

Police were first alerted to the children's absence by relative's of Vallow's, who grew concerned after not hearing from them.

After failing to account for their whereabouts, in mid-December Vallow and Daybell fled to Hawaii, where they were later traced down and arrested.

Four people closely associated with Vallow and Daybell have died in recent years.

In April 2018, Vallow's third husband, Joseph Ryan, died of an apparent heart attack.

In July 2019, he fourth husband, Charles Vallow, was shot dead by her brother, Alex Cox, who claimed self-defence and was never charged.

In November, Chad's previous wife, Tammy Daybell, died of unknown causes in her sleep, and he married Vallow just two weeks later.

In December, Alex Cox was found collapsed on a bathroom floor at his home in Gilbert, Arizona and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

His death came just a day after police exhumed the body of Tammy Daybell and reopened an investigation, and police have said he may have been involved in her death.

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