In 2023, Brent “BJ” Larson found himself in an Ohio court fighting to get custody of his kids, Ty and Brynlee Larson. Earlier that year, his children had refused to leave their mother, Jessica Zahrt’s house and come stay with BJ, as had been mandated by the court. They accused BJ of abuse and said that they did not want to spend any time with him at all. Hulu’s ‘The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn?’ features interviews from the various stakeholders in the complicated case that raises questions about Utah’s legal framework around child protection and rehabilitation.
Brent “BJ” Larson Was Accused of Child Abuse by Both His Kids
Brent “BJ” Larson had grown up in a religious family and was devoted to the LDS church. He met Jessica Zahrt for the first time in the late 2000s. At the time, she was living with her grandparents, and just two months after they started dating, the couple decided to elope. They went to Las Vegas, Nevada, and, without telling their families, got married. Eventually, Jessica moved to Provo, Utah, where BJ’s family was based, and they started their life there. In 2008, they welcomed their son, Ty Larson, into the world, and in 2010, their daughter, Brynlee, was born. But soon after, the couple’s relationship deteriorated, and in 2012, their divorce was finalized. The children stayed with Jessica, while Brent got to see his kids occasionally.
For the few years that followed, Ty and Brynlee even spent whole days with Brent’s mother, Jolleen Larson, while the parents worked. Brent was reportedly holding two jobs at the time, and he found love for a second time in Cassandra “Sandy” Larson. She had two daughters of her own, and eventually they got married and she moved in with her family. Brent gave a lot of time to his blended family, but in March 2018, Jessica filed a protective order against him. In her petition, it was mentioned that Brynlee had accused her father of abuse, and a DCFS investigation followed. Brent was even called in for questioning, during which he denied any wrongdoing and accused his former wife of using the kids against him.
Brent even took a polygraph test, the results of which determined that he was not lying. Sandy was also called in for questioning, and she said that she had never felt any threat from her husband. Just a week later, however, Sandy accused Brent of controlling her statement to the police, and she also said that he had allegedly been very controlling in their relationship. In May 2018, Brent received a petition from Jessica in which she had demanded that all parental rights be taken from him. In turn, he served her with a petition that asked for modified custody on the basis of alleged parental alienation. Ty started going through court-mandated therapy as well, and in November 2018, he also accused Brent of abuse.
Brent “BJ” Larson Was Investigated for Alleged Child Abuse Multiple Times
In the weeks that followed, Ty Larson refused to go to supervised visits with Brent, but Brynlee Larson continued attending them. Brent Larson and his family reportedly made videos of all their interactions. In April 2019, when Ty came in for a visit with Brent, he confronted him and laid out all the accusations and allegations against him while Brent recorded the interaction. Brent denied having done anything while the case continued. As the pandemic hit in 2020, Jessica withdrew her petition to terminate Brent’s parental rights. Following this, in December 2022, the court ordered that the children be sent to a reunification camp with Brent for a period of 90 days without contact with their mother. The court had also ruled that reasonable force could be used to enforce the reunification order.
In February 2023, as the police arrived at Jessica’s house in Salem, Ohio, to take the children, Ty and Brynlee barricaded themselves in their rooms and streamed the incident on social media. They remained locked in for 54 days. In March 2023, a trial was held to determine parental rights. The order of reunification was paused while Brent was investigated for alleged felony child abuse and alleged misdemeanor child abuse. This came despite a 2021 investigation that ended with prosecutors deciding not to file any charges due to a lack of evidence.
Brent “BJ” Larson Doesn’t Seem to Have Any Contact With His Children Today
In December 2023, Brent Larson testified in court himself, accusing his wife of making their children falsely believe something he claimed was not true. He said that he had thought about walking away multiple times, but wanted his kids to know the alleged truth about their father. However, in 2024, Brent dropped all claims to any parental rights. He has said that he did it for the welfare and well-being of his children. It does not seem like he has kept in touch with his kids, and he continues to keep a low profile outside the public eye. He has not been charged or indicted in any case related to his children and appears to still be based out of Utah.
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