Family sues state of Utah for death of 3-year-old son

Megan Brugger
·2 min read
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NOTE: A lawsuit represents only one side of a story.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah (ABC4) — A family is suing the state of Utah after their three-year-old son was killed in an alleged Eagle Mountain DUI crash two years ago.

Theresa and Robert Ratliff, the parents of three-year-old Odin Ratliff, filed the lawsuit against the state of Utah, the Utah Department of Corrections, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, Utah Adult Probation and Parole, and Wasatch Behavioral Health.

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In May 2022, court documents state Kent Cody Barlow crashed his car into a yard in Eagle Mountain, killing Odin and another three-year-old boy.

Barlow has since been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the boys’ deaths, as well as with possession or use of a controlled substance.

The recently-filed lawsuit claims Barlow has a “long and troubling history of disregarding the law,” as well as “endangering the public and himself.”

At the time of the incident, court documents state Barlow was driving erratically — racing through roads, drifting his car, passing a car he was racing by going into the oncoming lane of traffic, and even “spinning donuts in a dirt area with children playing baseball nearby.”

Additionally, results of a blood draw-warrant showed Barlow had methamphetamine and amphetamines at a very high level in his blood when the incident occurred.

According to the lawsuit, Barlow’s criminal history dates as far back as 2014, and states that he was granted parole in 2019. The lawsuit alleges, in part, that the state of Utah and Wasatch Behavioral Health falsely reported that Barlow was meeting his parole conditions.

Additionally, the lawsuit states both Utah and Wasatch Behavioral Health did not properly train or supervise employees.

According to the lawsuit, “Odin’s death was foreseeable.”

The lawsuit is asking for unspecified damages that would be determined at trial.

ABC4.com reached out to the Attorney General’s office but has yet to hear back.

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This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post with more information as it becomes available.

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