Wanted 'End-of-Times' author Chad Daybell was excommunicated from the Mormon church after he declared that he was a prophet, DailyMail.com can reveal exclusively.

The man who police want to question following the disappearance of his two stepchildren was kicked out of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints this fall, an expert in the religion's fundamentalist groups said.

'The thing about the Mormon Church is that it is very susceptible to schisms and the starting of new movements,' said Dr. Cristina Rosetti in an exclusive interview. 'There are new Mormon groups that start every single day, so it is very hard to keep track of them.'

Daybell and his new wife Lori Vallow disappeared from their home in Rexburg, Idaho, on November 26 after cops started asking questions about her two children, Tylee Ryan, 17, and Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, 7, who have not been seen for three months.

Their disappearance was never reported by their mother and was only discovered when relatives became worried. 'It sounds like the last time anybody had seen the kids were somewhere on the 23rd or 24th of September,' said Rexburg's Assistant Police Chief Gary Hagen.

Author Chad Daybell, 51, (left) is on the run with his wife Lori Vallow, 46, after police learned Vallow's children Joshua, 7, and Tylee, 17, have been missing

A multi-state police search is underway for seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow (left) and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan (right), who were last seen in Rexburg in September. Joshua and Tylee were never reported missing by their mother, Lori Vallow, or her new husband Chad Daybell

Chad Daybell's previous wife, Tammy Daybell, died at their home in Rexburg, Idaho, in October and was buried in Springville, Utah. Chad's new wife, Lori, was also widowed in 2019 when her husband, Charles Vallow, was shot dead by her brother, Alex Cox, in July in Chandler, Arizona

On Monday, the couple's attorney, Sean Bartholick, issued a statement on their behalf, according to East Idaho News.

'Chad Daybell is a loving husband and has the support of his children in this matter. Lori Daybell is a devoted mother and resents assertions to the contrary,' the statement reads.

'We look forward to addressing the allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor,' the couple added in the statement.

Daybell has written some 25 books, and was known as a 'prepper' - someone who is getting ready for the End of Times

No charges have been filed against Chad or Lori in Idaho or Arizona.

Police said they are interested in speaking with the couple to ensure the children are safe. Lori's family claims she turned into 'a monster' after meeting Daybell and says she has joined a dangerous cult.

Sam Penrod, a spokesman for the Mormon Church said he could not comment on Daybell's membership status. 'It is a personal matter that is left to him to discuss if he wishes,' he said.

Daybell, 51, and Vallow, 46, got married just days after the October 19 death of Tammy, his first wife and mother of his five children. Her death was originally listed as natural but cops have now exhumed her body for further testing.

An obituary for Tammy, a librarian, who also served as chief financial officer for her husband's publishing company, said she 'died peacefully in her sleep.' She was just 49.

That is not the only mysterious death linked to the couple. Joseph Ryan — Tylee's father — died of a heart attack last year. Lori's estranged husband Charles was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in July after getting into an argument when he went to pick up JJ.

And Cox himself died on December 12, the day after Tammy's body was dug up.

Now Brandon Boudreaux, who was married to Lori's niece Melani, who also follows Daybell, claims his wife tried to kill him.

'A couple months ago there was an attempt on my life, so I went into hiding with my kids,' Boudreaux told Fox13. 'All I could think was: Someone's shooting at me. What do I need to do? I need to hit the gas and get out of here.'

When asked if he had any doubt that Daybell and Vallow were responsible for the deaths of their spouses, Boudreaux replied: 'I'm just a person, so what do I know? But yeah, I mean… I just wonder why you couldn't just get divorced like normal people and just go be together if that's what you wanted.

Lori Vallow married Chad Daybell (left) just weeks after his first wife, Tammy Daybell (right) was found dead under mysterious circumstances on October 19 in Rexburg

Lori Vallow (right) is pictured here with her previous husband, Charles Vallow (left), who was fatally shot 'in self defense' by Lori's brother in July 2019

'I spent the last 11 years of my life spending time with Lori and her now-deceased husband Charles, Boudreaux added.

'I don't know what happened to those kids, but I know there's people who do, and they're not talking… I love them both. I hope they're safe. They're both just innocent and they didn't deserve to be involved in any of this.

'I don't know what they're doing. It doesn't make any sense… If I could say anything to them, I would just say tell the truth, you know? They're going to figure it out eventually anyways.

'I think it's an infatuation with the end of the world and an infatuation with power,' added Boudreaux. 'And they're using it to try to make money off of people's beliefs.

'It just makes you sad. A lot of people I care about aren't here anymore because of these ideas.'

Rosetti, a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of California, Riverside, said Mormonism gives men the 'power of God and to act on behalf of God.'

'It is same power that the leaders of the church have, so they are able to declare themselves as a prophet or start their own movement.'

Daybell has written some 25 books, and was known as a 'prepper' —someone who is getting ready for the End of Times, said Rosetti, a PhD who spent four years researching fundamentalist Mormons.

Brandon Boudreaux (pictured), who married into Lori Vallow's family in 2008, has said he doesn't think its a coincidence that two of her previous husbands, her new husband's ex-wife and her brother have all died since she allegedly joined a dangerous religious cult

Boudreaux said his wife Melani, Lori's niece, followed her aunt in joining a 'cult' with Chad, a self-proclaimed Latter-day Saint author who has written books detailing the end of the world, around 18 months ago. Boudreaux and Melani are pictured at their wedding in 2008

Boudreaux accused Melani of trying to kill him 'a couple months ago'. He said she was using her family's newfound religious beliefs to justify taking his life

'They become hoarders, for lack of a better word, gathering a lot of food, water, and ammunition,' Rosetti added.

'This is not something out of the ordinary, it is something that Mormonism encouraged at a time and there has been a history of people preparing for the last days.'

FAMILY 'CULT' TIES Two of Lori Vallow's relatives have alleged that the mother joined a 'dangerous religious cult' around 18 months ago. The cult is said to be a radical off-shoot of the Church of Latter-day Saints, to which 98 percent of Rexburg residents belong. Lori and her niece, Melani Broudeaux, were allegedly drawn into the cult by Chad Daybell, the man Lori married just weeks after his wife was found dead on October 19. Daybell is a self-proclaimed Latter-day Saint author who has written multiple books detailing the end of the world. Lori's former mother-in-law, Kay Vallow Woodcock, told FOX10 that Lori's personality had changed drastically since she joined the cult. 'To think that within the last two years she has completely changed into a monster, I'm making an understatement,' Kay said. She added: 'Something happened to her. She just turned off and once she got involved with that cult with Daybell, she just turned off the person we knew just went away.' Melani Broudeaux's now-ex-husband, Brandon Broudeaux, also confirmed that the pair joined the cult with Daybell. He said Melani used her newfound religious beliefs to try to have him killed in August. 'You can't be a member of the church and believe those things,' Boudreaux said of the cult. 'I think it's an infatuation with the end of the world and an infatuation with power, and they're using it to try to make money off of people's beliefs.' Advertisement

Daybell founded a group called Preparing A People. On its website, he describes himself as 'author, publisher, speaker, visionary.'

He claims his religious views were formed as a young man when he had two near-death experiences. The first was when he was cliff jumping as a 17-year-old and he 'crossed into another dimension and realized there was a world beyond this one.'

The second was in his early-20s when he was smashed around in heavy surf. 'He was hit with a monstrous wave at La Jolla Cove in California, the biography for his book Living on the Edge of Heaven states.

'While his body was being tossed by the wave, his spirit was visiting with his grandfather, who showed him future events involving his still-unborn children.

'This accident caused his 'veil' that separates mortal life from the Spirit World to stay partially open, so he often feels as if he has a foot in both worlds.'

He has written about apocalyptic times in a series of 'Times of Turmoil' books. One of the books, Days of Fury, tells of church members coping with the imposition of martial law and the aftermath of an earthquake in Salt Lake City, Utah.

'Many Saints have found refuge and safety at mountain camps, but many others are coping with other natural disasters and civil disturbances that continue to plague the nation's city,' a promotional blurb for the book reads.

'Meanwhile, a convoy of United Nations peacekeepers is making its way to Utah to assist in the full invasion of the United States by the Coalition forces, which will spark World War III.'

But Daybell's career as an author has now been overshadowed by the mystery of his disappearance and the deaths of so many people associated with him and his new wife.

Lori's former mother-in-law, Kay Varrow Woodcock wrote on Facebook: 'Things started changing over the past 18+ months when Lori began spending all her time with a new religious group, that we refer to as a 'cult'.

Woodcock, who lives in Lake Charles, Louisiana, told Fox10 that Lori's personality had changed over the past 24 months.

'To think that within the last two years she has completely changed into a monster, I'm making an understatement,' Kay said.

She added: 'Something happened to her. She just turned off and once she got involved with that cult with Daybell, she just turned off. The person we knew just went away.'