Shivangi Sinha
Hulu’s ‘The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn?’ chronicles the case surrounding Ty and Brynlee Larson, who accused their father of abuse. The documentary features interviews with the siblings and their mother, Jessica Zahrt, who fought a long custody battle with Brent Larson over their children. In the series, Jessica shares the background of her relationship with Brent and details what transpired in the years that followed, ultimately changing their lives completely.
Jessica Zahrt Filed a Temporary Protective Order Against Her Former Husband
Jessica Zahrt said that she did not grow up in a very happy home. She claimed that she had allegedly faced physical and sexual abuse, and as she grew up, she started spending more and more time with her grandparents. Jessica met Brent Larson, and within two months, they went to Las Vegas, Nevada, and got married at a drive-through chapel. They did not tell anyone, and upon returning, Jessica continued living with her grandparents for some time. She eventually moved to Provo, Utah, and she said that was when she realized that Brent’s family was well-connected through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was affluent within the community.
Soon after their marriage, in 2008, Jessica gave birth to Ty Larson, and in 2010, she welcomed her daughter, Brynlee Larson, into her home. She said that by then her marriage had deteriorated and alleged that Brent was very controlling. In 2012, the couple divorced. Soon after, Jessica married Aaron Zahrt and moved to Salem, Utah, to start a life with him. Her children stayed with her and often visited Brent. She said that the arrangement was not easy, but she wanted her children to have a good relationship with their father. That changed in March 2018, when Brynlee accused her father of abuse. Jessica said that her first instinct was to believe her child, and she went on to file for a temporary protective order, which she was granted.
The DCFS continued its investigation, but on Mother’s Day of 2018, Brent served Jessica with a petition to modify custody on the basis of alleged parental alienation. She followed the court orders and arranged supervised visits, but in November 2018, when Ty made his own accusations and refused to visit Brent, Jessica did not force him to visit. In February 2023, when the court ordered a reunification camp, Jessica knew she would have to comply, but when her children barricaded themselves inside her home, she panicked. During the 54-day standoff, she supplied them with food from underneath the door and said that she could not see her children starve.
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Jessica Zahrt is Raising a Young Son With Her Husband Today
Jessica Zahrt was in court for the March 2023 trial, which paused the reunification camp order. In 2018, she filed a petition seeking to have all of Brent Larson’s parental rights removed, but she withdrew it in 2020. She explained that the only reason she did so was that she did not want to put her children through a legal process that could potentially harm them. In December 2023, during the custody trial, Jessica also took the stand and said that she had always wanted her children to have a relationship with Brent, but she also had to prioritize their safety. She denied that she had intentionally fed her kids false information and said she had simply been by their side when they needed her.
In December 2024, Brent dropped his custody claims, and the legal battle came to an end. Jessica is still based out of Salem, Utah, where she lives with Brynlee Larson, her husband Aaron Zahrt, and their son Jagger. She has said that she is left with thousands in legal fees and will likely spend a long time paying them off. She maintains an active TikTok account, which has been active since 2023, when Ty and Brynlee began streaming their barricade situation. She appears to be associated with a business named Petal and Stone LLC and also supports the cause of Childhood Over Conflict. She is not very socially active and seems focused on her life after the legal settlement and on raising her children, who are still quite young.
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