The Idaho mother whose children have been missing since September arrives back in her home state Thursday to face charges.
Lori Vallow, who was arrested in Hawaii last month , is facing several charges, including two counts of felony abandonment in the disappearance of her children, 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow .
She was being held on $5 million bail since her arrest in Kauai. She will appear Friday before a judge.
"This is the first step in the courthouse in Idaho which would trigger a cascading series of events in the legal process," said CBS News Legal Analyst Rikki Klieman.
Vallow could face up to 14 years in prison for each count of desertion of a child. Her Idaho attorneys have filed routine court documents asking the judge to reduce her bond and requesting documents and evidence from the prosecution.
"I have no doubt that Lori Vallow would love to know what the FBI and any other agency is doing in this investigation," Klieman said. "So what's the easiest way to do that? File a motion for discovery and see if you can get everything."
JJ's grandmother, Kay Woodcock, told CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti that she believes Vallow will "be held accountable."
"I have total 100% belief that it's going to happen," she said. "She's going to be held accountable, 100% for everything." Woodcock was in Idaho for Vallow's hearing.
Attorneys for Lori's adult niece, Melani Pawlowski, who's also faced questions about the children's whereabouts, said she is now cooperating with FBI investigators and has surrendered her computer.
In addition to the case of the missing children, three mysterious deaths surround Vallow and her current husband, Chad Daybell, including Vallow's previous husband Charles Vallow, her brother, Alex Cox, and Chad's previous wife, Tammy.
"The government may want to use this case in order to get them to fess up some information about all of those other suspicious deaths," Klieman said.
