Utah siblings barricaded in room to avoid court order

A 15-year-old Utah boy has become TikTok famous after barricading with his sister inside a room at their mother’s house in order to avoid a judge’s order to reunite with their allegedly abusive father, according to a report.

Ty Larson has been using the video-sharing app for the last month to raise awareness about his and 12-year-old Brynlee’s ordeal after a state judge ruled the sibling need to be returned to their dad’s custody, according to a ProPublica report. Some of his videos, livestreamed from inside the bedroom, have hit more than 380,000 views.

Judge Derek Pullan gave police the green light to use “reasonable force” that includes getting into locked rooms to carry out the order.

In one TikTok clip last month, Ty said he was abused sexually and emotionally by his father until the age of 11, when he disclosed the allegations. He said his sister, now 12, also faced abuse when she was younger.

“My own word does not matter and they do not believe my truth,” Ty told his more than 50,000 followers.

Cops tried to get the siblings from the house in December, but decided against breaking down the door — seeking further clarity from the court over what they found could be a “potentially combustible situation,” according to police reports seen by ProPublica.

An investigation by the state’s Division of Child and Family Services in 2018 deemed credible allegations that dad Brent Joel Larson was sexually and emotionally abusing the kids, the outlet reported.

He was slapped with restrictions related to his kids following those findings, though he did not face criminal charges.

Larson is now facing an ongoing criminal probe of new allegations against him by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, the report said. A previous investigation from 2021 ended after not enough evidence was found.

Two other police departments are also reportedly probing Larson for child abuse, officials said.

Larson’s attorney denied his client committed any abuse, including the 2018 case and newer allegations.

“There have been similar false claims — repeatedly, for years. The stories continue to change and expand each time — always about the same events,” lawyer Ron Wilkinson told ProPublica.

Instead, Larson claims his ex-spouse and the children’s mother, Jessica Zhart, sabotaged his relationship with the kids through “parental alienation,” which is a disputed theory when one parent tries to brainwash their children to dislike the other parent.

Ty Larson said the claims against his mother are “100% fake.” Zhart also denied the accusations against her.

The American Psychiatric Association is among scientific groups to reject the theory, believing it not a legit diagnosis, ProPublica reported.

But the judge agreed with the claim and ruled Zhart’s conduct has caused the children’s “abuse narrative” leading to the “reunification therapy,” ProPublica reported. He wants the children and father to undergo a reunification process at a facility out of state.

However, Pullan won’t allow Brent Joel Larson to spend unsupervised or overnight time with the children, and the kids must stay at their paternal relatives’ homes pending more court orders during time at the reunification camp.

Ty Larson disclosed his alleged abuse when he was 11-years-old after his mother brought him to the doctor to deal with panic attacks and anxiety, according to records cited by ProPublica.

He accused his father of holding his head under water when he was 4 while running the faucet in his anus until he couldn’t breathe. When he was 8-years-old, he said his father came into his room while he was sleeping and touched his privates.

He also said his dad threatened to kill his mother and sister if he told anyone about the abuse, ProPublica reported.

Brynlee disclosed the alleged abuse to her mom at around 7-years-old, the outlet reported, citing court records. She told police her father penetrated her anus with his fingers and touched her inappropriately.

The state agency found both child’s claims to be “supported,” the outlet reported.

Ty said in the TikTok video he’s barricading inside the room to remain safe.

Food is delivered to the children’s room by their mother and Ty drilled a hole in the wall to reach the bathroom, he told ProPublica. The judge has sharply criticized the mother for apparently enabling her kids’ rejection of the court ruling.

Both brother and sister have not attended school as they remain in the room.

“The court system isn’t trying to save us,” Ty said in one video. “Nobody’s trying to keep us safe.”

A court rep told ProPublica that Pullan “spent many, many hours going through evidence and testimony before he made his ruling.”

The judge’s January order for the kids and father to attend the reunification camp won’t be enforced yet as a hearing might be required, the outlet reported.