Judge delays enforcement on order returning Salem teens to father
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- Friends and family members of Ty and Brynlee Larson protest outside the law office of Jason White & Associates in Provo on Friday, March 17, 2023.
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- Jessica Zahrt, mother of Ty and Brynlee Larson, protests outside the law office of Jason White & Associates in Provo on Friday, March 17, 2023.
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- A protest sign is propped up in front of the the law office of Jason White & Associates in Provo on Friday, March 17, 2023.
Two Salem teenagers who had spent the past several months locked in their bedroom are now “able” to leave the room. Ty, 15, and Brynlee Larson, 12, sealed themselves in their home for weeks in defiance of a court order returning custody of them to their father, Brent Larson.
Ty and Brynlee have accused their father of sexual abuse, which the Utah Division of Child and Family Services first supported in 2018. On Monday, Judge Derek Pullan paused the order as criminal investigations are completed against Brent Larson.
“It appears that these allegations of sexual abuse and other kinds of abuse against the children at the hands of Brent have been put forward after this court’s ruling regarding temporary custody being awarded to Brent,” Pullan said.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office is investigating Brent Larson for felony child abuse. The Utah County Attorney’s Office received a police report on Brent Larson and is currently screening the case for misdemeanor charges but has not yet made a decision.
The teens’ mother, Jessica Zahrt, told the Daily Herald the teens are now in a position where they can leave the room, though their reactions have differed. Brynlee, she said, was ready to spend time with her friends. Ty was less eager to leave.
“He doesn’t trust that this is actually not going to switch on a dime,” Zahrt said. “He will come out of his room, like, for short periods of time but he still felt safer in his room.”
Awareness of the case grew as Ty, while in the bedroom, began posting videos on TikTok explaining the situation to his followers, who numbered over 55,000 as of Friday afternoon. Ty, who uses the handle @stupid_flipper, called the ruling “freaking crazy” and said he was experiencing “a mix of so many emotions.”
Using the account, which previously showcased technology reviews and comedy sketches, Ty has made 36 videos updating his situation and calling for action through protest. Several protests have been held by friends and family in Utah and Salt Lake counties, including on the steps on the Utah State Capitol.
On Friday, eight family members protested in Provo at the offices of Jason White & Associates against Daniel Eyre, an associate attorney with the firm and the guardian ad litem assigned by the court to Ty and Brynlee.
The Utah Office of Guardian ad Litem did not respond to request for comment.
Zahrt and her children’s grandparents were among those on the sidewalk along University Avenue carrying signs, chanting and livestreaming video. Zahrt accuses Eyre of solely seeking reunification while representing the teenagers, saying “he had an agenda from the very first go.” Zahrt added that, after following Eyre’s advice, he “used it against me” in court.
Eyre and court-appointed reunification therapist Michelle Jones were the main targets of protestor ire. Jones previously told ProPublica that she found the abuse allegations to be a “false narrative.”
Pullan originally sided with Brent Larson, and Jones’ evaluation, in returning custody to him by claiming Zahrt manipulated the children to make their allegations.
“I don’t want there to be any misconception that I’m out here on a crusade to destroy their father. That is not it,” Zahrt said. “My whole thing is to support giving (Ty and Brynlee) a voice. And I do not mind calling out the professionals in this case.”
Two Provo police officers were on hand for the protest as Zahrt and the others filed for a permit to hold it.
