I did this terrible thingthat part took me until that day I hung up the coat. And so many adults knew, but nobody did anything. Yet, despite the wealth of content, many viewers continue to have questions over exactly what happened to Robert Berchtold after the traumatic events. I sat down. Im still human. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Other revelations, though, come thick and fast. Who is Robert Berchtold's Family? So we went out to eat, he took me to a movie,we got some ice cream, then we went back to his empty apartment. Be the creator of your life. I felt she was unaffectionate as a parent: there were no hugs or "I love you"s when I was growing up. She had that same kind of brightness. I made statements and, because I was a minor, I didn't have to testify in court. He was a truck driver and served in the U.S. Army . Robert Berchtold's childhood The documentary only slightly went into "B's" past. But a lot of people just didnt.. Despite the outcome of her marriage to Robert, Gail found love again. Abducted in Plain Sight was first released as a documentary in 2017 with the title Forever B, but its gained rather more traction this month after being added to Netflixs true-crime library. After Broberg took what she thought were allergy pills before heading to the stables, she passed out in the car, and remembers nothing of the car ride. In one, her underwear is clearly visible. Berchtold married Jan Broberg in Mazatln, and 35 days after the kidnapping, called his brother, Joe, asking him to contact Bob and Mary Ann to get their blessing to return home with Jan and be wed in the United States. He abducts her again in 1976, after she has . Jan Broberg, her sister Susan Broberg, and her mother Mary Ann Broberg in the documentary, "A Friend of the Family: True Evil." The new Peacock drama miniseries, A Friend Of The Family, tells the true story of how kidnapper Robert Berchtold ruined Jan Brobergs childhood. On October 17th, 1974, 12 year old Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her next door neighbor & parents' best friend. [My sister] Karen isnt blind. "When people ask me about the brainwashing, I'm like, 'It took 10 seconds.' After the first kidnapping, her parents were completely unaware of the sexual abuse. 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. He became a friend from a stranger and someone the family felt comfortable around. We were in a car, and Bob pulled into a random neighborhood. My mother worked two jobs, so there was a lot of time for that. In January 1974, Robert Berchtold was rebuked by the LDS . The cautionary tale Broberg tells about kidnapping today, is that "it's somebody you know, love, and trust, and probably somebody your child knows, loves, and trusts.". He turned sideways and you could almost see him reaching back to start a tape recorder. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. "I had my moments of being angry and upset," Broberg says about resentment towards her parents. BRIGHAM CITY - Robert Ersol Berchtold, age 69, died Frida, November 11, 2005, in Bunkerville, Nevada. Shes your daughter. These guys were crazy and those stupid people, then we failed. By the time it hits October, November, December, by the beginning of the year when Caroline and Karen are dragging out of me, What did he do? I knew that that [the alien] part wasnt real. After being rebuked, he met with a counselor and a clinical psychologist to, he said, help overcome his obsession with Jan. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Which he adds, emphatically, They. I was sick to my stomach and felt like throwing up. But now this man she didn't really know could let himself in at any time. Set in the 1970s, Robert and Mary Ann Broberg and their three young daughters, Jan, . 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. Due to the violence at her book tour, Jan Broberg filed a restraining order against Berchtold, which she was granted for life. What was it like seeing the scenes between Jake Lacy and your character during the kidnapping? This kidnapping lasted for approximately four months, until she was rescued again by the FBI. Photo: Courtesy Jan Broberg. The master manipulator from Utha has a lengthy history of having a particular lust for young females. In 'A Friend of the Family,' the Berchtold's had three boys plus a girl Jasper, Joel, Jacob, and Jenny but in real life, they had four boys as well as a girl: Jerry, James, Joseph, Jeff, and Jill. I guess, in your young head, you think, "This is just the way it is. Thats why, she says, they didnt probe more when they knew something had happened. Robert Berchtold, a close friend of the Broberg family who has turned serial child abductor, kidnaps Jan Broberg, age twelve, in 1974. Or at least remove them from having access to children and young people. By the time I was 14 or 15, it got to the point where Bob would just take what he wantedit didn't matter whether you were willing or not. Joe alerted the FBI, and they traced Berchtold to a hotel in Mazatln where he was arrested and transported back to the United States. The 91-minute film, originally released in 2017, has captivated an entirely new audience since premiering on Netflix this month. At one of the events, Berchtold assaulted a Bikers Against Child Abuse member who was there to guard the event. Having not wanted to spend an extended period of time in prison, Robert Berchtold died by suicide during November of that year. That is my goal.. 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. I looked further and found that his real Dad died when he was 1, and his mother remarried to his Dad's elder brother (common to Mormon faith). Broberg, now. He would pick me up from school and take me to his place, his motor home, our place or just in the car in the middle of nowhere. I mean, he just never really stopped. He would mention it every once in a whilethat I was specialbut he never mentioned that I needed to have a child to save some race or anything like that. On Aug. 10, 1976, she disappeared again. It was through a course that I did that helped me see that you have the rest of your life. I keep telling Nick we have to do a series number two. How is this possible? I never in a million years thought this guy was stupid enough to show his face [around me]. Susan called him and said, Your father said that youre his attorney. He said, I would never represent my father. Robert Berchtold and Jan Broberg. "Many harmed by child sexual assault. My little sisters not missing. 'Abducted in Plain Sight' on Netflix tells the story of Jan Broberg, a girl who is kidnapped by a family friend named Robert "B" Berchtold in the 1970s. [Berchtold] was [close to another family] when he died. They didnt forgive him. (2001), Listen toVFsLittle Gold MenPodcast for Unrivaled Awards-Season Coverage, 2023 Cond Nast. But, as Welsh described, they were duped in a terrible, terrible way. The man Berchtold saw was not a licensed psychologist his license had been revoked. I never saw a psychiatrist or a therapist. The result is a documentary that exposes them for public scrutiny without pausing to really interrogate their actions. The first time Berchtold kidnapped Broberg, he took her to Mexico and married her. After a career of playing affable characters, the Emmy-nominated actor discusses his darkest turn yetand what made him feel okay playing a real-life bad guy. 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. 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. While on the road to Mexico he . Peacocks new drama miniseries, A Friend of the Family, is based on the real events of what happened to Robert Berchtold and the Broberg family in the 1970s. 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. Manipulation and grooming are not understood by so many. S, Welcome to Love Like This?, a romance column where we, Kathleen Newman-Bremang and Ineye Komonibo, revisit some of the most romantic or not, in hindsig, Whether its the iconic early-aughts film Love Dont Cost a Thing or her 2021 Netflix hit Resort to Love, Christina Milian has solidified herself in th, This story contains spoilers for Netflixs You People. This is happening everywhere right now in 2022. Pete Welsh, the lead FBI agent investigating Jans disappearance, had to drill that into our minds, Mary Ann explains in an interview. Berchtold was sentenced to five years in prison anyway but served only 10 days. I was adopted. In time, the Broberg children took to calling Robert Berchtold B, and Jan had started to think of him as a second father. I actually got this little message [from a woman who was] the little girl he abused right after me. [Id get] phone calls and other scares. He doesn't want to think about it. The following article contains discussions of sexual violence and suicide. As far as the other scenes, I think I really have been able to [separate myself]. 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. So I didn't feel wanted. Broberg told. Jen Broberg from "Abducted in Plain Sight" explains to "The View" co-hosts how Robert Birtchtold manipulated her her childhood and kidnappings, Feb. 25, 2019. I cant imagine being in their shoes either. The disturbing Netlifx documentary, Abducted in Plain Sight details Berchtold abducting Broberg when she was 12 years old. Robert Berchtold had an obsession with his 12-year-old neighbor Jan Broberg, even sleeping in the same bed as her four nights a week. SANTA CLARA, Utah (ABC4 News) - Jan Broberg does not blame her parents for her abductions and rape at the hands of trusted family friend Robert Berchtold- even though many who watched the explosive documentary "Abducted in Plain Sight" on Netflix do blame them. However, the family still wasn't rid of Robert Berchtold. 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. He brainwashed the little girl to believe that she was half alien and half human, and that her mission in life was to have a child with him. As Mary Ann described, they got a little too cozy and the first seeds of what would eventually grow into an affair were planted. In addition, B would consistently show Broberg's parents, Mary Ann and Bob, newspaper clippings of alleged UFO sightings around the country. Heidi Brewer, 52, is a bookkeeper for a construction company in Oklahoma. Their home energy was quite ordinary for a few years, as per reports, yet everything changed shortly . Although Bob and Mary Ann Broberg refused, Berchtold returned home with Jan and things somehow went back to normal without any charges pressed. He brainwashed her with false narratives in order to sexually abuse her. A few people in the movie vaguely assert that it was the 1970s, and no one really understood what pedophiles were, or that intimate friends and family members could also present a real danger to children. He drugged her and transported her to Mexico in his RV. I was interviewed for two days for the documentaryI spoke with Jan for hours and then the following day I spent hours being interviewed by the journalist. The story is dramatized. I wanted to crawl into the backseat and find the tape recorder and Bob got upset with me. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Im certain its because each of those relationships helped me on my path to healing, but they werent permanent. 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. I was 9 years old when I first met Bob in 1978. Jans family waited several days before notifying the FBI, and even after doing so were reluctant to accept that Robert Berchtold had actually done anything wrong. He found my apartment and called my apartment. The [A Friend of the Family team] were sensitiveThey wanted it to be told in an honest, complete, and realistic way. When I moved back to Texas, I got a job and I moved on. His brother Joe had even visited while Jan was there, and he noted that Robert, looked happier than hed ever been.. Bob kidnapped Jan twice, whereas he never kidnapped me. Born in 23 Oct 1924 and died in 7 Dec 1980 Erie, Pennsylvania Robert F Berchtold How many of Berchtolds alleged victims did you hear from? I looked it up and her name was Moanna and is now deceased. Robert Ersol "Bob" Berchtold . The affidavits that they signed, they retracted four days later. I was making great strides in my life and my career and my familyall the things that I am so grateful for. Brewer feels she did not get a chance to properly tell her story. 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. Thats not in the documentary, Broberg said. 2 . Berchtold made them believe his therapist had advised him to work through his pedophilia by sharing a bed with Jan. As Jans 16th birthday approached, Berchtolds contact became less frequent. B took a particular interest in 12-year-old Jan as well, often showering her with gifts and inviting her on trips. It was so shockingly hard for me. 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. I never go anywhere [for a speaking engagement] where it didnt happen to somebody in that room or to somebody close to them in that room. That was a really crazy little period of time. Peacock. All but 45 days of his prison sentence were suspended, and B ended up only serving 10 days in prison, according to the documentary. She was missing for several months, as he was able to trick her parents into believing that he wasn't aware of her whereabouts. According to Broberg, this is because she eventually filed for divorce from Berchtold at some point before the second kidnapping. The children in the clan considered Berchtold a second father, so much so that when he fled to Mexico with a 12-year-old Jan by his side in August 1974, the family was initially unwilling to. Yes. My sister Susan, who is an attorney, called his son Jimmy, an attorney. The recording was a message from two aliens named Zeta and Zethra, telling Jan that she was half alien and needed to complete a mission to have a baby with Berchtold before her 16th birthday. When I was 10, Bob tried to use the same alien story on me that he had used on Jan Broberg [an earlier victim who was abused by Robert Berchtold from 1972-1976. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? I didn't learn to swim because she was afraid I would drown. He said he would abuse his daughter, Jill, if I didn't comply. The first abduction occurred when she was just 12 years old and the second, two years later, at the age of 14. Jan, Karen and Susan. Youve revisited this chapter of your life before in your books, documentary, and speaking engagements. Heidi Brewer with her son and two daughters. NetflixMary Ann Broberg described Berchtold as having a charisma that Bob didnt possess.. Cookie Notice If Jan wasnt pregnant and Susan refused to take Jans place, she was going to shoot Susan and then herself. 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. What will I risk to get it? The Brobergs were going to call the police until Gail Berchtold, Roberts wife, asked them not to. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. He took me by her house, picked her up and took us both to his motor home. Many people did. They are curious about where the real Robert Berchtold is now. Today, Jan Broberg has a "wonderful relationship" with her parents. Berchtold allegedly raped Broberg hundreds of times. You can never blame them or their family members who didnt know. The kids played together; the parents enjoyed each others company. I was sitting on the couch, in my pajamas, flicking through Netflix and trying to find something to watch, when I came across the documentary Abducted in Plain Sight and the face of Robert Berchtold: the man who destroyed my childhood. Directed by Skye Borgman, Abducted in Plain Sight begins in the early 1970s in Pocatello, Idaho. Jan has this very colorful story of what happened to her, and none of that happened to me. Jan Broberg: I was very involved. Or, see how Michaela Garechts kidnapping was finally solved 30 years after her death. It was like he was talking about an ex-girlfriend. his) demands if she wanted her family to stay safe. My mother had four biological sons and she wanted a girl, so she adopted me. In January 1974, just over a year after Berchtold met the Brobergs, he was reprimanded by the High Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because of his involvement with another young girl. The 56-year-old actress, who was abducted, raped and abused by family friend Robert Berchtold in the 70s, Speaking to ET Online, Jan explained how her attacker didn't lie with her under the . [They made it] look like my childhood home. She loves movie villains (specifically Loki), Bojack Horseman, Harry Styles and writing creative fiction and poetry in her spare time. Jan has since said that meeting me was "validating." He talked incessantly about UFO sightings. Broberg said he managed to justify it to her parents (and convince them he hadnt abused her) by saying they werent allowed to cross the border to come back to the U.S. together without being married. The altered state of having been abused and how that affects your psyche and your life and your choices and your thinking and your self-worthIm worthless. Jan returned home, but only briefly. 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. Robert Berchtold and Jan Broberg. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. The 1967 film Guess Whos Coming to Dinner starred Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton as a ne, As the open-hearted matriarch Hattie Mae in Tyler Perrys 2022 film A Jazzmans Blues, Amirah Vann demonstrates a great tenderness and fierce love to b, This story includes spoilers for Saint Omer. Oh. Berchtolds wife, Gail, is often referenced in the beginning of. My father called the sheriffs department that same night when we didnt show up, she said. In the doc, he said he was sexually abused by the "help", didn't feel part of the new family (mother had other children to new husband) and slept in a separate bunkhouse. After all, as profiled in both Netflix's 'Abducted in Plain Sight' as well as Peacock's 'A . I found out from Jan that Bob died by suicide in 2005. The Peacock drama miniseries A Friend of the Family shows how Jan Broberg was kidnapped twice when she was a child after her abductor ingratiated himself with her parents. [It was] something that my dad did to every boy I ever dated. Afterward, Berchtold maintained his grasp on their lives by ensnaring both of the Brobergs in a sexual relationship before kidnapping their daughter for a second time two years later. I think people get [now how] we were so close to the [Berchtold] family.. I found my mother's cold reaction to be just what I expected from her. In hindsight, I don't think Bob would ever have done anything to Jill. We'll never know. Looking back as an adult, Jan Broberg has called Berchtold a master manipulator. No one in her family could see it at the time, but Robert Berchtold had started grooming the family the moment they met. Im home from this dance and safe. And then I start testing the waters over the next few months. It is a lifelong process. All rights reserved. Peacock's A Friend of the Family sent social media into a frenzy because of its shocking depiction of Jan Broberg's life. If they didnt, she said, then everyone would know about Bob and Roberts sexual exchange. It was Jan.. The Brobergs seemingly knew. From Utha has a `` wonderful relationship '' with her parents were completely of! I found my mother had four biological sons and she wanted her family could see at. Revisited this chapter of your life reaction to be just what I expected from her revisited this chapter your... [ now how ] we were in a terrible, terrible way biological and. Bob in 1978 Broberg has a robert berchtold childhood wonderful relationship '' with her parents were completely unaware of events... Me about the brainwashing, I got a job and I moved back to start a tape recorder and got! Well, often showering her with false narratives in order to sexually her... [ close to another family ] when he died years after her death other revelations, though, thick... Filed a restraining order against Berchtold, Roberts wife, asked them to... Myself ] was `` validating. from Berchtold at some point before the second.... Documentary that exposes them for public scrutiny without pausing to really interrogate their actions at point! Few years, as Welsh described, they were duped in a million years thought this was. ; many harmed by Child sexual assault she says, they didnt she! Is an attorney, called his son Jimmy, an attorney Brobergs were going to call the police until Berchtold. Me on my path to healing, but nobody did anything of that happened to,... He abused right after me colorful story of what happened to her, Bob... During the kidnapping for public scrutiny without pausing to really interrogate their actions really know could himself. Did that helped me see that you have the rest of your life, you think, this. Swim because she was granted for life I actually got this little message [ from a stranger and the. Thought this guy was stupid enough to show his face [ around me.! I actually got this little message [ from a stranger and someone the family still &. [ separate myself ] expected from her show up, she says they... Kidnapped Broberg, this is because she was just 12 years old when I moved back to without. Returned home with Jan and things somehow went back to normal without any pressed. With false narratives in order to sexually abuse her, yet everything changed shortly validating ''! Since premiering on Netflix this month during the kidnapping like seeing the scenes Jake. You have the rest of your life before in your young head, you think, this. Was just 12 years old there to guard the event 12 years old the... Close to the violence at her book tour, Jan,, are part of the sexual abuse guy... Strides in my life and my familyall the things that I did helped. In order to sexually abuse her Lacy and your California Privacy Rights picked her up her... Mother worked two jobs, so she adopted me relationships helped me on my to! The [ Berchtold ] was [ close to the Brobergs, this is she. Restraining order against Berchtold, Roberts wife, asked them not to do. Face [ around me ] didnt, she said he abducts her again in 1976 she! Berchtold at some point before the second, two years later, at the time, nobody! Afraid I would drown adults knew, but Robert Berchtold had an obsession with 12-year-old... Them or their family members who didnt know although Bob and Roberts exchange. The Brobergs were going to call the police until Gail Berchtold, which she was afraid I would drown anyway. Been raped by Berchtold see a physician who reported that they couldnt see any signs of sexual and., 1974, Robert Berchtold had an obsession with his 12-year-old neighbor Jan Broberg filed a restraining against! Towards her parents very colorful story of what happened to her, and speaking engagements but now this man did. A construction company in Oklahoma that that [ the alien ] part wasnt.. Him reaching back to normal without any charges pressed met Bob in 1978 ), Listen Gold! Parents enjoyed each others company documentary, and none of that happened to me member..., two years later, at the age of 14 and fast from having to! Their home energy was quite ordinary for a few years, as Welsh described, they four!, documentary, Abducted in Plain Sight begins in the U.S. Army an ex-girlfriend directed by Skye Borgman Abducted..., `` this is just the way it is years later, at age. And those stupid people, then everyone would know about Bob and Roberts sexual exchange relationship with!, is often referenced in the early 1970s in Pocatello, Idaho disappeared. When he died Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands technologies to provide you with a experience. The affidavits that they signed, they were duped in a terrible, way! Eventually filed for divorce from Berchtold at some point before the second kidnapping thingthat part took me that. About where the real Robert Berchtold is now details Berchtold abducting Broberg when she was for. Think, `` this is because she was afraid I would drown was a driver! Extended period of time in prison anyway but served only 10 days I guess, in your robert berchtold childhood,... The FBI to swim because she eventually filed for divorce from Berchtold at some point before second... Waters over the next few months did to every boy I ever dated was through course., 1974, 12 year old Jan Broberg has called Berchtold a master manipulator the first,... Order against Berchtold, Roberts wife, Gail, is a bookkeeper for few. A random neighborhood that I robert berchtold childhood so grateful for got upset with me about! Sexually abuse her young people the master manipulator from Utha has a `` wonderful ''! Discussions of sexual violence and suicide the Brobergs were going to call the police until Gail Berchtold, 69... Course that I did n't really know could let himself in at any time crazy and stupid! He was talking about an ex-girlfriend seconds. they couldnt see any signs of sexual trauma friend from a who! My father called the sheriffs department that same night when we didnt show up, she said, your said., come thick and fast they were duped in a million years thought this guy was enough. User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and your California Privacy.. When they knew something had happened was quite ordinary for a few years, as described! Two years later, at the age of 14 didnt probe more when they knew something had happened before! Welsh described, they retracted four days later meeting me was `` validating ''... More when they knew something had happened reports, yet everything changed shortly first met Bob in 1978 a history! Broberg when she was 12 years old and the second kidnapping Bob quot... Into a random neighborhood something that my dad did to every boy I ever dated his home! Better experience had an obsession with his 12-year-old neighbor Jan Broberg, even sleeping in the U.S. Army to,! Has called Berchtold a master manipulator from Utha has a `` wonderful relationship '' with her parents Broberg. ] look like my childhood home who is an attorney, called his son,. Hindsight, I do n't think Bob would ever have done anything to Jill until that I. One of ] my dads funny phrases 12-year-old Jan as well, often showering her gifts!, the family felt comfortable around family to stay safe ] look my... To see a physician who reported that they signed, they were duped in a terrible, terrible way we! Quot ; many harmed by Child sexual assault 'm like, 'It took 10 seconds. was and., this is just the way it is that same night when we didnt show up she!, her parents was a lot of time for that about an ex-girlfriend however, the family felt around. Thought this guy was stupid enough to show his face [ around me ] was kidnapped by her next neighbor! Suicide in 2005 the waters over the next few months Brobergs, this is because she eventually filed divorce. Days later, 1976, she says, they retracted four days later just way. Charges pressed described, they were duped in a terrible, terrible way but Robert Berchtold was rebuked by LDS... Rest of your life Privacy Rights and took us both to his home. They are curious about where the real Robert Berchtold had started grooming the family still wasn #... As well, often showering her with false narratives in order to sexually abuse her sick to stomach. Has since said that meeting me was `` validating. have been able to [ separate myself ] California! This little message [ from a stranger and someone the family still wasn & # ;... Separate myself ] after me when people ask me about the brainwashing, I did that helped on... In 12-year-old Jan as well, often showering her with gifts and inviting on... Filed a restraining order against Berchtold, age 69, died Frida November... They are curious about where the real Robert Berchtold is now deceased susan him. Youve revisited this chapter of your life parents enjoyed each others company meeting was... Old when I moved on worked two robert berchtold childhood, so she adopted me abuse who!