Why Two Siblings Locked Themselves in a Room for 54 Days: Exploring the Nightmare Upstairs

Hulu has released a new two-part documentary called The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn, which tells the true story of two siblings from Utah who barricaded themselves in a bedroom for 54 days in protest against court-ordered reunification therapy with their father. The documentary features never-before-seen footage, police interviews, and court records from the bitter custody battle involving Ty and Brynlee Larson, ages 15 and 12 at the time.

Ty and Brynlee made headlines in early 2023 when they barricaded themselves in an upstairs bedroom in their mother’s house to resist a court order to reunite with their father, whom they had accused of abuse. In the documentary, Ty is shown fortifying the bedroom door with dressers and wood planks and setting up a “cooking area” in the bathroom stocked with food.

According to Ty, his inspiration for the barricade came from a high school criminal justice class. He explained, “If I barricaded, they couldn’t do anything because it wasn’t criminal… What are they going to do?” Despite their isolation, Ty mentioned that their mother tried daily to persuade them to leave, but they refused.

Their father, Brent “BJ” Larson, has denied the abuse accusations, attributing their actions to parental alienation caused by their mother. Parental alienation, which involves one parent manipulating a child to reject the other parent, is a contentious concept not officially recognized as a psychiatric disorder.

Zahrt, the children’s mother, countered Brent’s claims, expressing disbelief at the accusations. Brent has not faced criminal charges related to the abuse allegations. The details of this family’s story have captivated audiences and shed light on the complexities of custody battles and parental alienation.