PROVO, Utah — Inside the Matheson Courthouse on Wednesday, Wasatch Behavioral Health and the State of Utah addressed claims made against them by the parents of 3-year-old Odin Ratliff who was killed over two years ago.
In May 2022, Cody Barlow, 28, who was driving over 100 miles per hour while allegedly on methamphetamine, crashed through the fence of a corral in Eagle Mountain — killing 3-year-olds Odin Ratliff and Hunter Jackson while they were playing.
In May, Theresa and Robert Ratliff filed a lawsuit against the state of Utah. In the lawsuit, they claimed the Utah Department of Corrections, Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, Utah Adult Probation, and Wasatch Behavioral Health are responsible for their son’s death.
The lawsuit alleges that the State of Utah and Wasatch Behavioral Health knew Barlow was in violation of his parole before the crash, but falsely reported that he was meeting the conditions of his parole.
The lawsuit states that Barlow failed to appear for scheduled drug tests, tested positive for methamphetamine, and missed meetings with his parole officer. It also says the state and Wasatch hired and retained unqualified employees.
“We don’t have any allegation that Wasatch screened unqualified employees and made affirmative decisions. Very broad language is used and of course that could potentially be interpreted in multiple ways,” said Melinda Bowen, Wasatch Behavioral Health’s defense attorney.
Bowen said claims should not move forward legally.
Kent Cody Barlow is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of the two 3-year-old boys, along with one count of drug possession.
The next court date is Dec. 4. The judge will decide whether they can legally move forward with the claims.
