Utah siblings Ty and Brynlee Larson were 15 and 12, respectively, when they locked themselves in a room at their mother’s home for 54 days between January and February 2023.
They were seeking to avoid court orders to spend time with their father, Brent, accusing him of touching them inappropriately when alone.
Their story was turned into a two-part documentary titled The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn? and released on Hulu today (May 19), prompting people not only to revisit the case but also to debate it in a new light.
Many on Reddit questioned the kids’ mother, Jessica, over allowing the children to isolate themselves and accused her of “messing” them up mentally.
Hulu’s new documentary has brought the three-year-old true story back into the spotlight
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Brent and Jessica had been embroiled in an intense custody battle over their children since their 2012 divorce, with the former accusing the latter of turning the kids against him.
She denied the allegations in court and, in the documentary, explained that she had a troubled childhood, which led her to impulsively marry Brent in the early 2000s.
“In the beginning, he came off as charismatic, successful, fun,” she said.
Brent’s family descended from one of the founders of the Mormon church.
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The children were visiting their father at the home he shared with his new wife, Sandy, where they alleged he violated them.
Brynlee was 7 in March 2018 when she made the first allegation against Brent, claiming he had “put lotion” on her “private areas.”
Jessica explained on screen that her daughter’s disclosure was “graphic,” adding that she “couldn’t believe” what she was hearing.
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She said she didn’t want to destroy Brent’s life over “something that could be a misunderstanding,” but, following advice from her attorney and driven by an urge to protect her children if something was in fact wrong, she called the Utah Department of Child and Family Services.
Brynlee’s allegations were still under investigation when Ty also came forward with his own claims that Brent had misbehaved with him.
According to a February 2023 ProPublica (a nonprofit investigative newsroom) report, authorities in 2018 found the allegations to be not only credible but “severe,” despite Brent’s not guilty plea.
His second wife’s testimony suggested Brent was trying to conceal some sort of truth
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Brent was only allowed supervised visits with his children following the allegations.
At the time, he went on to call the female detective who investigated the case a “man-hater,” while accusing Jessica of disliking him and therefore separating him from his children.
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Sandy, Brent’s second wife, testified that she trusted him with her own daughters but changed her stance a week later.
She reportedly told investigators she no longer knew what was right or wrong.
In a separate interview, she also revealed that Brent had “coached” her “on some things to say.”
This included him asking her to claim she was with him any time Brynlee needed cream.
Sandy said the situation gave her clarity about their relationship, leading her to realize that Brent was “manipulative and controlling.”
They got divorced shortly afterward.
Brent’s mother, Jolleen, called the allegations against him “false” in the documentary and claimed he would “never harm a child.”
Ty and Brynlee explained in the TV interview why they barricaded themselves
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Brent and his mother continued accusing Jessica of alienating the children by feeding them misinformation.
“You can create memories in these children. You can make any child believe anything,” Jolleen said.
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The court had ordered the children to participate in “reunification therapy” with Brent in January 2023. These sessions, per Jessica, caused more trauma to their kids.
When the court’s next order asked them to spend 90 days with Brent without contacting their mother, they took the extreme step.
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“I chose to barricade because I was afraid for my life,” Ty said in the documentary.
The teenagers live-streamed their experience of being locked away from the world, which they said they did because they “knew the court wasn’t going to listen” to their requests not to be taken.
In one of his videos, Ty said, “The court system isn’t trying to save us. Nobody is trying to keep us safe.”
The custody battle between Jessica and Brent ended in 2024, with the latter signing away his parental rights
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Jessica expressed gratitude to Brent for taking a step back in the documentary, explaining that the decision came out of “left field” for her.
In a video message to his children, Brent said it was “the hardest thing I’d ever do.”
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“I couldn’t watch my children endure more pain for something they did not or could not control,” he said on screen, maintaining his claim that his children were brainwashed.
“My greatest hope is that one day we will have the opportunity to reconnect,” he said.
Jolleen also weighed in on her son signing away his parental rights, revealing he did so because the court battles were “t**ture” for everyone involved.
Ty and Brynlee have since been adopted by Jessica’s second husband, Aaron. Ty shared that he has since found a good therapist.
“There is no way these kids were so desperate to avoid their father for no reason,” a netizen said
