And then he had her wait outside while he abused me. So if we can find that community of support and do that, then that will not only raise awareness, it will prevent future abuse. At the same time, Berchtold had contrived a story about taking Jan on vacation but getting stuck in Mexico, unable to return unless they got married. Photo: Courtesy Jan Broberg. The drama series, A Friend of the Family, was released on Peacock, and many fans are talking about its true story. A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Austin Harvey has also had work published with Discover Magazine, Giddy, and Lucid covering topics on mental health, sexual health, history, and sociology. Theres a lot more to the story. He found my apartment and called my apartment. 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. The Brobergs seemingly knew. Berchtold continually raped Jan as he drove his motorhome to Mexico, where the minimum age requirement for marriage was only 12 years old. Berchtold, who was a local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leader, drugged and brainwashed Broberg when she was just 12 years old. Robert Berchtold sexually abused Jan Broberg for several years and manipulated her and her family. Be the creator of your life. Having not wanted to spend an extended period of time in prison, Robert Berchtold died by suicide during November of that year. 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. It was the thing that kept me obedient.. 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. Its very close in every way to how it truthfully unfolded. With Mckenna, I see all of the emotional intelligence of someone understanding how do you, at age 15, 16, how do you even portray someone thats brainwashed? The nine-episode series, which premiered this week, retells the sagathis time making it clear how a family like the Brobergs could have let Berchtold (plus his wife and young children) into their lives and continue to give the neighbor second chances. Jan Broberg: I was very involved. He first kidnapped Jan when she was 12-years-old. 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. Now I do. You can never blame them or their family members who didnt know. "But I knew they had been groomed and manipulated too.". So it looks . I entered into a homosexual relationship with her father in order to have access to Jan, Berchtold later admitted. 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. How involved were you with the making of the show? It wasnt until 30 years later, after Mary Ann had published her book Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story, that they heard from him again. On October 17th, 1974, 12 year old Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her next door neighbor & parents' best friend. I remember the first time I really understood what love was or at least what a nine-year-old could understand as romantic love. Related: Dahmer Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Sparked An Important True Crime Debate. How is this possible? I never in a million years thought this guy was stupid enough to show his face [around me]. According to Newsweek, Jan Broberg grew up to become an actress and an advocate for victims of childhood sexual abuse. Karen Campbell, one of Jans sisters, comes closest to analyzing what happened when she posits that her parents are simply experts in denial. Brewer feels she did not get a chance to properly tell her story. It wasnt about Mary Ann. As Jans 16th birthday approached, Berchtolds contact became less frequent. 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. Broberg continued to believe the make-believe alien story up until her 16th birthday. The affidavits that they signed, they retracted four days later. The [A Friend of the Family team] were sensitiveThey wanted it to be told in an honest, complete, and realistic way. It almost feels like this huge burden is lifted off my shoulders by having the story told right. He is survived by his wife, Deanna; sons, Jerry, James, Joseph, I wanted this for a long timeto tell the story in a way that would affect the most change and the most understanding so that people could avoid this happening in their own life or help any traumatized young person get to a healthy, happy place. 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., "He was the kind of guy that was just helpful," Broberg said of her initial impressions of B. Some people know him as Robert or "B," but he was Bob or Dad to me. I didn't learn to swim because she was afraid I would drown. Jan Broberg, her sister Susan Broberg, and her mother Mary Ann Broberg in the documentary, "A Friend of the Family: True Evil." I cant imagine being in their shoes either. From then on, the abuse happened dailywhenever he had the chance. I guess, in your young head, you think, "This is just the way it is. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. It is a lifelong process. Let me inform you that Read More Robert Berchtold Wiki, Wife, Age, Family, Brother . 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. On Oct. 17, 1974, Robert Berchtold picked up his young neighbor Jan Broberg from her piano lessons in Pocatello, Idaho, so he could, he claimed, take her horseback riding. [The older sister] came to the conference when he showed up with the gun. 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. The first abduction occurred when she was just 12 years old and the second, two years later, at the age of 14. 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. Although Berchtold feigned ignorance regarding Jans whereabouts, Welsh and investigators knew he was responsible for her disappearance. Robert Berchtold was the Broberg's neighbor. I could dig into the pockets. I really did find a way to hang up that very heavy coat of abuse and have it be outside of me. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. I think I realized from the friends that I had at the timeyou could just tell that their relationship with their father figureswas different to mine. October 5, 2022. his) demands if she wanted her family to stay safe. I mean, its pretty tough, I feel bad for all of them, she said. Robert Berchtold began taking the Broberg kids to school every day and took Jan on activities including horseriding and family vacations. In 1976, he spent 10 days in jail after accepting a plea deal based on the first kidnapping, then was sentenced to a mental facility for 6 months. Berchtold, played by Jake Lacy, did not just target Jan (Hendrix Yancey and Mckenna Grace), the series makes clear. 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. I wanted to play in the dirt and toss a football. With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. She traveled to meet him, and he begged her to leave her husband and live with him. In addition, B would consistently show Broberg's parents, Mary Ann and Bob, newspaper clippings of alleged UFO sightings around the country. I remember waking up in the morning and not feeling well at all. When Bob was 3 yrs old his father passed away and in 1939 his mother married Joseph Ersol Berchtold who raised Bob and . We didn't meet in person until we filmed the documentary, A Friend of the Family: True Evil. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Despite the distance, Berchtold kept in contact with Jan, delivering her love letters and secret sets of instructions to meet with him. Gail Berchtold Career . Manipulation and grooming are not understood by so many. What will I risk to get it? All he ever got was a slap on the wrist, and then he was able to continue as before. 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. Ive been doing, Hello, doctor with a couple of my friends for about 20 years. I about passed out. The Disturbing Story Of Robert Berchtold, The Pedophile Who Kidnapped And Assaulted His Neighbors Daughter Twice. 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. There's somebody else who's doing it.". Neither one of us were comfortable with him doing it, Mary Ann said, but it was part of his therapy.. In spite of the fact that Robert (or B) was born on February 7, 1936 close to Tremonton, Utah, he spent the majority of his childhood in the Mountain West region with his mother, several of his siblings, his stepfather, and his stepfather's biological father. 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). He talked incessantly about UFO sightings. My mom was divorced, lonely and didn't want to be alone anymore. Watching Jake Lacy become Berchtold was seamless. At least I can keep telling my story without feeling like hes going to show up or hes stalking me. Because hed showed up [occasionally]. [Berchtold] was [close to another family] when he died. My dad isnt dead. You mentioned hearing from another woman who had been abused by Berchtold. 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. 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. The encounter quickly became sexual. Berchtold was sentenced to five years in prison anyway but served only 10 days. What was it like seeing the scenes between Jake Lacy and your character during the kidnapping? Everybody gets hurt. I reached out to Jan after I came across her book, and we exchanged a few emails. [It was] something that my dad did to every boy I ever dated. In one, her underwear is clearly visible. My father called the sheriffs department that same night when we didnt show up, she said. Many people did. In the beginning, he would say, "Do what you're told," and then, when I was 13, he said, "If it's not you, it's going to be somebody else." 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. 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. I wonder if he abused her at all? I didn't know it was wrong right away. Which is how those next four years, as you see in the series, unfold, because I really did think [the aliens] would take [my sister] if I didnt do the mission. I made statements and, because I was a minor, I didn't have to testify in court. Meanwhile, her parents blamed themselves for these events. When Brobergwas 12, Robert Berchtold kidnapped her and played a recording that told that she was half-alien, and that she had to have a baby with Berchtold by the time she was 16 to save the extra-terrestrial species]. I was so involved and so consulted and so cared for. But I know the abuse impacted my relationships. The new Peacock drama miniseries, A Friend Of The Family, tells the true story of how kidnapper Robert Berchtold ruined Jan Brobergs childhood. It didn't take long before Bob had his own key and could come and go as he pleased. My mother worked two jobs, so there was a lot of time for that. It was so shockingly hard for me. He hoped to give Zachary a glimpse of his father. I was shy, so I didn't really speak to him a whole lot. Netflix first recounted the harrowing story in the 2019 documentary Abducted in . You can change your choices at any time by visiting your privacy controls. (2001), Listen toVFsLittle Gold MenPodcast for Unrivaled Awards-Season Coverage, 2023 Cond Nast. We will do a better job. She had me stay the night with a friend and invited her friends over. More than 50 years ago, Jan was kidnapped and abused by a family friend, Berchtold, who had affairs with both her parents in order to cover up his actions. In hindsight, I don't think Bob would ever have done anything to Jill. Bob and Mary Ann, Agent Welsh states, were told to cut off communication with the Berchtolds. Jan returned home, but only briefly. Their childhood was . Watch it on Netflix. I dont know why, but I did.. So that I get to be the doctor. 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. "It's the smokescreen that a master manipulator creates," Broberg warned. For years, actress Jan Broberg kept the story of childhood sex abuse she endured at the hands of a family friend mostly private. Robert Berchtold is an abuser who groomed the Broberg family in order to become close to their 12-year-old daughter Jan. Both parents claimed in the documentary that if they didnt do this, B would expose a sex act that Bob and B engaged in prior to the kidnapping. Its a surreal experience. Jan Broberg's parents and siblings, as well as the law enforcement professionals who worked on the case, recount the unbelievable sequence of events at the heart of this . I knew what he was doing, Bob said. Berchtold, it transpires, had repeatedly tried to infiltrate other families with young girls, and had been reprimanded by the high council in his church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, for doing so. I was making great strides in my life and my career and my familyall the things that I am so grateful for. He kidnapped her. We were in a car, and Bob pulled into a random neighborhood. 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. I never saw a psychiatrist or a therapist. Wish he had gotten help somehow if he indeed suffered terrible abuses himself. Jamie Lee Curtis Is Both Weepy and Giddy About Her First Oscar Nomination. Jan, Karen and Susan. Robert kidnapped Jan Broberg, who was only 12 years old girl. They didnt have to do that, but they did. When I would ask Bob about these differences, including why I couldn't have friends over or spend time away from home, he would get angry. These guys were crazy and those stupid people, then we failed. I could read the scripts. 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