Shes your daughter. Generally, I am pretty happy and pretty great about 90% of the time. And then he had her wait outside while he abused me. Thats like looking at my brainwashed self again. He said, I wanted to tell you, this is what happened and he killed himself. It was so strange. He began flirting with Mary Ann, inviting her on a Church retreat in Logan, Utah. In the doc, Brobergs recount the emotional & sexual manipulation, insidious schemes & depraved actions that allowed church-going Idaho family to fall under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor, who would stop at nothing to be with their daughter. Mckenna Grace, 16, plays teenaged Jan Broberg opposite pedophile Robert Berchtold (Jake Lacy) in "A Friend of the Family" -- and said she wanted to "vomit from how gross it is." She was rescued by the FBI, who found Broberg and B in his mobile home in Mexico, according to the documentary. But I could see Bob playing the tape, so I didn't believe him. The twisted tale began in the early 70s in the small town of Pocatello, Idaho. Berchtold, played by Jake Lacy, did not just target Jan (Hendrix Yancey and Mckenna Grace), the series makes clear. A Friend Of The Family: What Happened To Kidnapper Robert Berchtold, Dahmer Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Sparked An Important True Crime Debate, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Can Solve 1 True Crime Show Problem, Criminal Minds: Evolution May Have Finally Set Up Spencer Reid's Return, The Last of Us Episode 8 Trailer Reveals Original Joel Actor's New Role, Disneys Double Show Cancellation Hints At Big Disney+ Changes. But when we got to his apartment, his kids weren't there. [There] was the brainwashing that was groomed into me before I was kidnapped[like being led to believe] that there were aliens. In the 1970s, Broberg was kidnapped twice by . After Brobergs first kidnapping, B blackmailed her parents, Bob and Mary Ann, into signing affidavits claiming he had consent to bring their daughter to Mexico. The Disturbing Story Of Robert Berchtold, The Pedophile Who Kidnapped And Assaulted His Neighbors Daughter Twice. It is a lifelong process. After getting Jan back, Mary Ann took her to see a physician who reported that they couldnt see any signs of sexual trauma. To the Brobergs, this meant their daughter had not been raped by Berchtold. Berchtold had a family of his own, and his children would often play with the Broberg kids, including Jan, according to ATI. On the day that I was filmingIm on set and I have a little scene with ColinIm standing there, talking to those two [actors] and all of a sudden, Colin sticks his hand out to Nick and he says, Hello, doctor. And I looked at him and I went, Oh, my gosh, how did you know? [That was one of] my dads funny phrases. Monday on "The View," Broberg discussed her childhood and the steps taken by family friend Robert Berchtold, who went by the nickname B, to manipulate the family and kidnap Broberg twice. Either it happened to you, Julie, or it happened to somebody close to you. On October 17th, 1974, 12 year old Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her next door neighbor & parents' best friend. the way she approached me and the way she smiled and the way she was like, Oh, can we hug? It was [like] watching myself. Let me inform you that Read More Robert Berchtold Wiki, Wife, Age, Family, Brother . Be the creator of your life. I'm still in the struggle. It was Jan.. Berchtold then fled with Jan to Mexico, where he married her and asked her parents permission to return to the United States and be legally wed under U.S. law. There must have been a lot of girls. My mother had four biological sons and she wanted a girl, so she adopted me. I think people get [now how] we were so close to the [Berchtold] family.. "Everybody loved him.". Jan Broberg's abuser convinced her she was the last chance for an alien species. The kids played together; the parents enjoyed each others company. The older sister reached out and found my mother when they saw my book with pictures of him in it. The Skye Borgmandirected documentary condensed this tale into 91 minutes. The result is a documentary that exposes them for public scrutiny without pausing to really interrogate their actions. Having not wanted to spend an extended period of time in prison, Robert Berchtold died by suicide during November of that year. Related: Dahmer Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Sparked An Important True Crime Debate. The master manipulator from Utha has a lengthy history of having a particular lust for young females. By clicking Accept all you agree that Yahoo and our partners will process your personal information, and use technologies such as cookies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights, and product development. I didn't know it was wrong right away. He was raised with half siblings, one of which looked very much like Jan, the "little girl" he said he took care of when his Mother left home when she was sick. As Mary Ann described, they got a little too cozy and the first seeds of what would eventually grow into an affair were planted. By Nicky Idika. Over the past week, viral tweets and Reddit threads and various expressions of incomprehension have batted around the internet, as viewers try to make sense of what exactly theyve just watched. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The Broberg family met the Berchtold family through their church in a small town in Idaho in 1972, according to the documentary "Abducted in Plain Sight." Robert Berchtold and Jan Broberg. He drugged her and transported her to Mexico in his RV. Jan Broberg is now the executive producer on the Peacock miniseries based on her life, A Friend Of The Family. The new series also delves into how said abductor Robert "B" Berchtold manipulated the family.. And if you saw the 2017 true-crime documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, you know that Jan's father, the late Bob Broberg (who . Berchtold continually raped Jan as he drove his motorhome to Mexico, where the minimum age requirement for marriage was only 12 years old. That is my goal.. [It was] something that my dad did to every boy I ever dated. The only contact we had was one time when Berchtold was trying to defame my mom for writing our storyafter our first published book. For viewers watching at home, though, judging the Brobergs is easier, even if its hard to ever feel fully informed, or to believe that the family knew what they were getting into by airing everything so publicly. Although Bob and Mary Ann Broberg refused, Berchtold returned home with Jan and things somehow went back to normal without any charges pressed. All but 45 days of his prison sentence were suspended, and B ended up only serving 10 days in prison, according to the documentary. That was a really crazy little period of time. According to his obituary: "Robert Ersol Berchtold, 69, of Logandale, died Nov. 11, 2005. Faith leaders knew. Berchtold eventually moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he bought a family fun center. She doesnt recall violent rape but said, I would just look at the leaves If you just look at the leaves, itll be okay.. If you can see yourself in this story, then we succeeded. In 1972 in Pocatello, Idaho, when the Broberg family met the Berchtold family at church, immediately the . He frequently called Mary Ann, confessing his love to her and asking her to meet him in Utah to talk about everything. He called me before it came on the news. Between 1972 and 1976, he eventually kidnapped and wed her. So does a legal system that allowed Berchtold to kidnap, drug, and rape a child and receive a virtual slap on the wrist. He was born February 7, 1936, in Tremonton, Utah to Leonard N. and Lucille Grover Berchtold. I was making great strides in my life and my career and my familyall the things that I am so grateful for. Peacock's A Friend of the Family sent social media into a frenzy because of its shocking depiction of Jan Broberg's life. Bagby's childhood friend, director Kurt Kunnee began shooting Dear Zachary after Bagby's murder. B blackmailed Brobergs parents, Bob and Mary Ann, into signing affidavits claiming he had consent to bring their daughter to Mexico after the first kidnapping, according to the documentary. Part of the problem is that Abducted in Plain Sight, a 90-minute movie in a field populated mostly with six- or eight-hour series, is focused entirely on telling a story rather than illuminating it. When Robert Berchtold first moved to town he became extremely close with the Broberg family, but as time went on it became clear that Berchtolds end goal was to get to Jan Broberg. "It's the smokescreen that a master manipulator creates," Broberg warned. I cant imagine being in their shoes either. The "alien" voice, which Bob pretended was coming from the car itself, said that I should be listening to Bob and doing as he told me. He said because we wanted to come home, they would not let me come back across the border if I did not have her married to me. With a corresponding friend for every family member, the families quickly grew close to one another, and B became like "a second father" to Broberg. Broberg woke up strapped to a bed in an unidentifiable confined space that she learned years later was B's mobile home. She worked as an actress and went on to star in several television shows and movies, such as the canceled show Everwood. I wanted to crawl into the backseat and find the tape recorder and Bob got upset with me. They consulted with me constantly. Bob kidnapped Jan twice, whereas he never kidnapped me. The drama series, A Friend of the Family, was released on Peacock, and many fans are talking about its true story. I didn't learn to swim because she was afraid I would drown. The Brobergs seemingly knew. Jan Broberg: I was very involved. NetflixRobert Berchtold had an obsession with his 12-year-old neighbor Jan Broberg, even sleeping in the same bed as her four nights a week. The movie includes pictures Berchtold took of Jan as a 12-year-old girl, all straw-colored hair, wide eyes, and freckles. After picking Jan up from piano lessons and drugging her, Berchtold dragged the unconscious child into his motorhome, bound her wrists and ankles to his bed with straps, and set up a small device to play a recording. Many people did. I guess it doesn't matter at this point, but since the doc is out and everything.looks like any kin he had will never speak of him Scan this QR code to download the app now. At one point, she planned on buying a gun and explaining to her sister Susan what was going to happen. I moved back to Texas to stay with one of my brothers, and my mother stayed in Utah. In truth, Berchtold drugged the 12-year-old and staged the scene to make it seem as if the two of them had been captured and taken away against their will. My dad isnt dead. When Jan Broberg shared the story of her stranger-than-fiction kidnapping in the 2017 documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, she did not anticipate the charged response it would elicit. Because my happy, carefree world changed in an instantand that was the instant when I woke up with my arms and my feet restrained in a dark room and that voice, that was so terrifying. He'd told me that he had slept with her, that he had kidnapped her a couple of times, and that he loved her very much. Her sons were quite a bit older than methe youngest was seven or eight years older than meand I don't remember them being in the house much. All rights reserved. The disturbing Netlifx documentary, Abducted in Plain Sight details Berchtold abducting Broberg when she was 12 years old. Her dad owned Atkin Florist, while her mother was a homemaker. His mother was still alive during the whole ordeal, she would have been 60 years old or so when he abducted Jan, Must have been hard for her witnessing this of her son. We'll never know. Berchtold, a frequent visitor to the Broberg household, orchestrated these heinous acts. Watch the exclusive trailer for the sharp upcoming series, starring Washington as a single mom whose father (Delroy Lindo) comes to live with her after being released from prison. Watching Jake Lacy become Berchtold was seamless. I was on set. Oh dear. I did what I was supposed to do. Born May 17, 1930, in Beaver Falls, he was the son of the late . Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The film tells the story of Jan Broberg, who, as a child in the 1970s, was kidnapped twice and sexually abused by, Still, not everything that happened to Broberg and her family made it into the documentary. As we have discussed above Gail was the ex-wife of Robert Berchtold, who abducted his neighbour, Jan Broberg Felt. Nonetheless Berchtold, even after his conviction and his briefest of interludes in prison, was able not only to be around children, but also to purchase and run a family-fun center as a business. But she called the police. That event would set off a series of events for a series of tragic events in the life of Jan Broberg, which she discussed in the documentary Abducted in Plain Sight as well as . I know that theyve been invited to share their side [of the story], including his ex-wife, but theyve never wanted to talk to anybody. Within a couple of months, we moved from our home in Texas to Salt Lake City, Utah, which was 45 minutes from where Bob lived. Truth is, you don't really want to know what happens to Robert Berchtold after the events of the series. Ad Choices, Broberg, who first shared the true story of her kidnapping in the documentary, Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Fragile Snowflake Donald Trump for Allegedly Trying to Censor Him. Its something that happened to them or someone close to themthey had been groomed or conned or manipulated, and could relate. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Have you been in touch with them? According to Newsweek, Jan Broberg grew up to become an actress and an advocate for victims of childhood sexual abuse. He brought her to California and enrolled her in a Catholic school, posing as her father and a CIA agent, according to the documentary. Monday on "The View," Broberg discussed her childhood and the steps taken by family friend Robert Berchtold, who went by the nickname "B," to manipulate the family and kidnap Broberg twice. So if we can find that community of support and do that, then that will not only raise awareness, it will prevent future abuse. Karen Campbell, one of Jans sisters, comes closest to analyzing what happened when she posits that her parents are simply experts in denial. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Berchtold would show up to the events and pass out fliers denying anything the Brobergs had to say about him. He was a truck driver and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Berchtold managed to keep her captive with an elaborate ruseclaiming they had been abducted by aliens, and that Jan needed to cooperate with the aliens (i.e. The Berchtold family also had a baby girl when they met in the Peacock dramatization. Jan Broberg whose story about being kidnapped by her neighbor Bob Berchtold inspired Peacock's "A Friend of the Family" has written a new book about the experience, with her mother MaryAnn. Instead, she blames small-town navet and meticulous grooming on the part . Cunning child predator Robert Berchtold would be accused of sexually abusing Jan Broberg over several years, but he would see little time behind bars for a multitude of reasons.. Peacock's original series, "A Friend of the Family," is based on the stranger-than-fiction story of the Broberg family, whose young daughter was twice kidnapped by trusted family friend Robert Berchtold. Robert Berchtold was ultimately given a prison sentence, but rather than face life behind bars, he downed a bottle of heart medication with Kahla and milk and ended his life. He had a sick obsession with Jan, which eventually led to her kidnapping when she was only 12 years old in October 1974. "Many harmed by child sexual assault. Obviously, you still are affected [every day]. I was working on myself. Theyre the bravest people I know, willing to try to help the rest of you see what they didn't. "You have to think again how the grooming happens," Broberg explained. I could see if the lining was coming out or if I really felt like I needed to put it back on because I needed somebodys empathy or sympathy for what happened to me. It wasnt about Mary Ann. Pete Welsh, the lead FBI agent investigating Jans disappearance, had to drill that into our minds, Mary Ann explains in an interview. Berchtold vanished from their lives, but managed to avoid going to prison. Photo: Courtesy Jan Broberg. Jan, now 56,. That is the only reason we told our story. Yet only 10 minutes of my story made the documentary. Robert Hites Berchtold, 90, of Beaver Falls, formerly of New Brighton, died Thursday, September 10, 2020, in Providence Care Center. I was such a happy girl. We will find the advocacy and the legal ways to put serial predators behind bars. Jan Broberg was kidnapped twice by her own neighbor and trusted family friend, Robert Berchtold. We were in a car, and Bob pulled into a random neighborhood. Heidi Brewer, 52, is a bookkeeper for a construction company in Oklahoma. Robert Berchtold: Who Was He? You have a cameo in the final episode. She endured some of the worst imaginable psychological manipulation during her childhood. Jan has this very colorful story of what happened to her, and none of that happened to me. She brought him to the house for dinner and he seemed nice enough. Berchtold went from seducing both Bob and Mary Ann, driving them apart while learning their weakness simultaneously. After the chaos of the events, she went on to share her story by speaking at various events and warning people of the dangers of others-even those who seem completely trustworthy. I was 9 years old when I first met Bob in 1978. Thats why, she says, they didnt probe more when they knew something had happened. She traveled to meet him, and he begged her to leave her husband and live with him. They were just extraordinary. 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