Lori Vallow's niece was in a Mesa courtroom Thursday for a child custody hearing that involves allegations made by her ex-husband that she knows where the missing Idaho children could be.
Melani Boudreaux Pawloswki is trying to get joint-custody of her four children.
JJ Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, were last seen in September. Their mother Lori Vallow was arrested and charged in Hawaii in connection to their disappearance. She is awaiting extradition to Idaho.
Melani was in court with her new husband Ian Pawlowski.
In court filings, Brandon Boudreaux claimed that Melani knows where JJ and Tylee are, and that she's refused to cooperate with investigators.
Thursday, her lawyers said she spoke to the FBI several times in Idaho and even gave them her laptop computer.
“She made three separate interviews with them that took several hours. She did that on her own jeopardy. She did not invoke her right to remain silent as was her right to do so. She cooperated and participated because she’s got nothing to hide," said one of her attorneys, Garrett Smith.
Brandon Boudreaux has also claimed that Melani followed Lori Vallow to Idaho and joined a cult "where numerous members, adults and children alike have been killed off like flies.''
Melani's lawyers said she doesn't share any extreme beliefs and she's not part of any cults.
"The fact that she is fond of her aunt Lori and wants to be with her is not anything to use to cast aspersions against her," said Smith.
Brandon was not at Thursday's hearings.
The judge set another hearing for March 26.
