Your family was so close to the Berchtolds for years. Neither one of us were comfortable with him doing it, Mary Ann said, but it was part of his therapy.. Jan had two younger. I was sick to my stomach and felt like throwing up. I was hurt and angry that, after all of that, nothing had really happened to him. It all started in 1972 when Berchtold met the Broberg family at a church service in Pocatello, Idaho, and quickly became an esteemed family friend. I really see those things as being almost separate. But a lot of people just didnt.. 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. Grace M. Galarraga is a writer based out of Southern California. He told her she had been abducted by aliens and that if she didn't have his baby, her sister would go blind and her father would be murdered. Berchtold vanished from their lives, but managed to avoid going to prison. It unpacks too many bizarre events in a short time frame to allow for much additional analysis. In January 1974, Robert Berchtold was rebuked by the LDS Church for a relationship with a young girl. My little sisters not missing. 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. As Jan Broberg later described in the documentary Abducted In Plaint Sight, Everyone had a best friend.. A recording began to tell her the story of how she was half-alien, and the extra-terrestrial species' survival depended on her to procreate with the male companion of their choosing. And the sad thing is, unfortunately, you're getting attention from somebody. Obviously, you still are affected [every day]. At home, Jan was distant. As we have discussed above Gail was the ex-wife of Robert Berchtold, who abducted his neighbour, Jan Broberg Felt. He drugged her and transported her to Mexico in his RV. What was it like to film that? As Jans 16th birthday approached, Berchtolds contact became less frequent. Broberg continued to believe the make-believe alien story up until her 16th birthday. She was rescued by the FBI, who found Broberg and B in his mobile home in Mexico, according to the documentary. He continued to try to terrorize me in the weirdest ways. I didn't know the abuse was wrong until I was 12 or 13. Information about your device and internet connection, like your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and apps. These guys were crazy and those stupid people, then we failed. As far as the other scenes, I think I really have been able to [separate myself]. 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. Does anyone else know anything about his childhood? He brought her to California and enrolled her in a Catholic school, posing as her father and a CIA agent, according to the documentary. And then this really deep sorrow and sadness for all the people, all the girls, his whole familyall the people who he had affected. Robert Berchtold is an abuser who groomed the Broberg family in order to become close to their 12-year-old daughter Jan. It didn't take long before Bob had his own key and could come and go as he pleased. And if youre not happy and you need medication or you need more talk therapyyou should get what you need so you can heal. It almost feels like this huge burden is lifted off my shoulders by having the story told right. 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. Firstly Bob and Mary Ann let Berchtold share a bed with their daughter multiple times, knowing that he was being counselled for being attracted to children. Jamie Lee Curtis Is Both Weepy and Giddy About Her First Oscar Nomination. Ive met her and talked to her. Was your deprogramming gradual over the years, or was there one turning point in your life where everything clicked? There must have been a lot of girls. She loves movie villains (specifically Loki), Bojack Horseman, Harry Styles and writing creative fiction and poetry in her spare time. Oh dear. In August 1976, Berchtold convinced Jan to leave her home and come with him, creating the second kidnapping. Bob and Mary Ann, Agent Welsh states, were told to cut off communication with the Berchtolds. You can change your choices at any time by visiting your privacy controls. Berchtold had a family of his own, and his children would often play with the Broberg kids, including Jan, according to ATI. Berchtold eventually moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he bought a family fun center. You have to have this baby by your 16th birthday. All of that brainwashingI knew that wasnt real when I [later interacted with boys] and had that moment of going, Okay, I havent been vaporized. He became a friend from a stranger and someone the family felt comfortable around. Ive been doing, Hello, doctor with a couple of my friends for about 20 years. I about passed out. Over the course of the next six months, Berchtold slept in Jans bed roughly four times a week. The hope for Abducted in Plain Sight, Borgman and Jan Broberg Felt have both said, is that it helps end the culture of silence around sexual abuse and assault. Jan Broberg is now the executive producer on the Peacock miniseries based on her life, A Friend Of The Family. Berchtold would show up to the events and pass out fliers denying anything the Brobergs had to say about him. Robert Berchtold: Who Was He? Jan Broberg went on to be the subject of her mothers retelling of her story, Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story and was part of the 2019 Netflix true-crime documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, detailing the twisted affair. Robert, his wife Gail Toyn Berchtold, and their children moved to Pocatello, Idaho, perhaps in the early 1970s, only to live next door to the equally religious Broberg family. And so many adults knew, but nobody did anything. By the second kidnapping she had filed for a divorce, Broberg said. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Berchtold vehemently tried to denounce the book, claiming that they were lying about him and about the truth for a profit. Im home from this dance and safe. And then I start testing the waters over the next few months. So it looks . Heidi Brewer on the documentary, A Friend of the Family: True Evil. 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. It took Jan years to learn to cope with the damage Robert Berchtold inflicted on her. I was working on myself. You can never blame them or their family members who didnt know. The reality, though, is that the extraordinary nature of the revelations in the film, and their insufficient excavation, end up overshadowing the much more urgent subject at hand. With her parents keeping her apart from Berchtold, she feared that she would have no way of completing the aliens mission. 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. Manipulation and grooming are not understood by so many. What was it like seeing the scenes between Jake Lacy and your character during the kidnapping? By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I was on set. She and her family went on to be manipulated by him for years, even after she was returned home from the kidnapping. Who would know? But I didnt know what was missing in the conversation. He drove her to California, where he enrolled her in an all-girls Catholic school claiming that she was his daughter. Some viewers hit the roof, wondering how any parent could let their kid be taken by the same person twice. I remember there was another girl that he was "seeing" at the time. Now I do. So that's why Im stepping into advocacy with the Jan Broberg Foundation. Susan called him and said, Your father said that youre his attorney. He said, I would never represent my father. NetflixJan Broberg works as an actress, known for roles in Everwood and Criminal Minds. 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? If you can [watch] and go, That would never happen to me. He was sentenced to five years probation and five years in prison. B took a particular interest in 12-year-old Jan as well, often showering her with gifts and inviting her on trips. Although Berchtold feigned ignorance regarding Jans whereabouts, Welsh and investigators knew he was responsible for her disappearance. I mean, he just never really stopped. Today, Jan Broberg has a "wonderful relationship" with her parents. 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. That was terrifying and surreal because I was finishing a speech for a thousand women and their daughters. I felt she was unaffectionate as a parent: there were no hugs or "I love you"s when I was growing up. My mom was divorced, lonely and didn't want to be alone anymore. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. 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. "But I knew they had been groomed and manipulated too.". I told my husband about what happened but he doesn't want to know the details. 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 brainwashing, for me, was something that [lasted] a short period of time. He turned sideways and you could almost see him reaching back to start a tape recorder. Between 1972 and 1976 he groomed Broberg and abducted her twice: once at the age of 12 and the second time when she was 14. Youve revisited this chapter of your life before in your books, documentary, and speaking engagements. 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. Privacy Policy. Next: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Can Solve 1 True Crime Show Problem. 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. Not trying to sympathize with him, but just curious about his childhood. 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