robert berchtold childhood

He found me when I lived in Florida, working for Disney World. In addition, B would consistently show Broberg's parents, Mary Ann and Bob, newspaper clippings of alleged UFO sightings around the country. Not trying to sympathize with him, but just curious about his childhood. It unpacks too many bizarre events in a short time frame to allow for much additional analysis. Now, Jan said, she sees that it was likely because she wasnt a little kid anymore. It was a terrifying thought, Jan said. The film tells the story of Jan Broberg, who, as a child in the 1970s, was kidnapped twice and sexually abused by Robert "B." Berchtold, a family friend who grew close with her parents. I was shy, so I didn't really speak to him a whole lot. It happened to my whole family, this man was a master and my parents saved my life. Yes. And how will I manipulate everybody in the room [while trying to get it]?. He took me by her house, picked her up and took us both to his motor home. After Robert befriended Bob Broberg and his wife, Mary Ann Broberg, he quickly infiltrated their family unit and cozied up to their young daughter, Jan Broberg. I never saw a psychiatrist or a therapist. Once that moment happened, I believed it entirely, completely, and I knew [aliens] were watching me. 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. But this time you were seeing an actor bring your abuser to life, witnessing two actors portray you during this traumatic period, and seeing actors portray your family. Related: Dahmer Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Sparked An Important True Crime Debate. He gave her allergy medication that knocked her out and drove with her to Pasadena, California where he enrolled her in a Catholic school with the alias Janis Tobler, feeding the nuns a fake story about being a CIA agent who needed someone to care for his daughter. Grace M. Galarraga is a writer based out of Southern California. These Romantic Movies Are Guaranteed To Make You Cry, The Greatest Romantic Comedies That Youll Watch On Repeat, 26 Movies Every Woman Should See At Least Once. No word and many, many years have gone by and, you know, can you imagine how awful it would be to discover that this was your dad? Berchtold, who was now living in Salt Lake City, Utah, had enrolled Jan at an all-girls Catholic school in Pasadena, California. Im so glad youve found relief. 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. Faith leaders knew. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Pete Welsh, the lead FBI agent investigating Jans disappearance, had to drill that into our minds, Mary Ann explains in an interview. Average Age & Life Expectancy Robert E Berchtold lived 5 years shorter than the average Berchtold family member when he died at the age of 69. So I felt like I was protecting her from being hurt, by allowing the abuse to happen. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Ive met her and talked to her. I didn't learn to swim because she was afraid I would drown. But I could see Bob playing the tape, so I didn't believe him. Jake Lacy in A Friend of the Family (Image credit: Peacock ) In the summer of 1972, Robert Berchtold moved a few blocks away from the Brogberg family in Pocatello, Idaho. He took us to science-fiction movies. (2001), Listen toVFsLittle Gold MenPodcast for Unrivaled Awards-Season Coverage, 2023 Cond Nast. Bob noticed that Berchtold had become sexually aroused. She strongly continues to spread awareness of Berchtolds crimes through the new drama series. Robert Berchtold began taking the Broberg kids to school every day and took Jan on activities including horseriding and family vacations. He took her inside the motor home and abused her, while I waited outside. 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. Their home energy was quite ordinary for a few years, as per reports, yet everything changed shortly . The Sickening Story of the Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult, Director Zach Heinzerling on Hulus three-part docuseries, Why Diane Kruger Changed Her Mind About Having Children, The actor said that in her mid-30s she began to wonder, What am I doing all this for?, Marc Maron Grapples With Grief in New Stand-Up Special. I finally told my mother about the abuse. 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. I was on set. Have you been in touch with them? It chronicles the peculiar kidnapping case of Jan Broberg, an Idaho. How are you, Susan? The following two years, B kept in contact with Broberg, who said she felt she loved him. Although he ruined Jan's childhood, Berchtold never fully paid for his vile crimes against Jan Broberg in prison. He, on some other level, was able to truly do what great actors do, which is to figure out what, What do I want? I guess, in your young head, you think, "This is just the way it is. I didn't know the abuse was wrong until I was 12 or 13. 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. 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. In one, her underwear is clearly visible. I just thought it was what you did. Berchtolds wife, Gail, is often referenced in the beginning of. We never called em pedophiles; Im sure it was in the dictionary someplace, Agent Welsh says. 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. I made statements and, because I was a minor, I didn't have to testify in court. 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." The story is dramatized. He doesn't want to think about it. Berchtold had a family of his own, and his children would often play with the Broberg kids, including Jan, according to ATI. Berchtold vanished from their lives, but managed to avoid going to prison. 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. 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. For years, actress Jan Broberg kept the story of childhood sex abuse she endured at the hands of a family friend mostly private. Some viewers hit the roof, wondering how any parent could let their kid be taken by the same person twice. 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. Berchtold would show up to the events and pass out fliers denying anything the Brobergs had to say about him. She divorced him and took her kids and moved., Gail was not featured in the documentary. It was really when I was 30 years old that I had that aha moment. But he kept pushing it until I finally explained to him that I couldn't swallow it, so he crushed it up and mixed it in some sugar and gave it to me. Thats why I think the documentary was a first step in some ways because it really taught me what was still missing in the conversation. And so many adults knew, but nobody did anything. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. She has been writing about entertainment news since she started writing journalistically in high school. The new Peacock drama miniseries, A Friend Of The Family, tells the true story of how kidnapper Robert Berchtold ruined Jan Brobergs childhood. 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. But I know the abuse impacted my relationships. She doesnt recall violent rape but said, I would just look at the leaves If you just look at the leaves, itll be okay.. According to Newsweek, Jan Broberg grew up to become an actress and an advocate for victims of childhood sexual abuse. 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]. 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. Thats like looking at my brainwashed self again. So Broberg was thrilled to help reframe her and her parents story in Peacocks new limited series A Friend of the Family, which was created by Nick Antosca (The Act and Candy) and invited Broberg and her mother, Mary Ann, to act as producers. I remember there was another girl that he was "seeing" at the time. 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. 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. My sister Susan, who is an attorney, called his son Jimmy, an attorney. He brought her to California and enrolled her in a Catholic school, posing as her father and a CIA agent, according to the documentary. Thats the only truly contact that ever has happened. But now this man she didn't really know could let himself in at any time. 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. You can change your choices at any time by visiting your privacy controls. Do.. Jan and her mother, Mary-Ann Broberg, went on to do a tour for the book Stolen Innocence. They didn't find out about the alien mission B convinced their daughter of until 1978 after she turned 16. Thats really my mantra: Have a happy childhood at any and every age. Lets figure it out. Robert Berchtold Wikipedia Bio. Robert Berchtold took Jan Broberg horseback riding one afternoon when she was 12 and disappeared with her. It is a lifelong process. Jan, being a child, believed she was in love with him and that they still had to complete their mission. And the Broberg family, confessional to a fault, are primed more for honesty than for self-inspection. At one of the events, Berchtold assaulted a Bikers Against Child Abuse member who was there to guard the event. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. But . [Berchtold] was [close to another family] when he died. 18 months later, while out on bail & awaiting trial for kidnapping, Robert Berchtold abducted Jan for the 2nd time, triggering FBI manhunt. 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. On October 17th, 1974, 12 year old Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her next door neighbor & parents' best friend. 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. 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. Without the Brobergs as witnesses, the court had no way of proving Berchtold was guilty of anything. 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. 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. With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. Thats why Im so grateful to have this series. 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. 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. My mom was divorced, lonely and didn't want to be alone anymore. Theres a lot more to the story. I said, Did you do some deep dive on my dad that I dont even know about? Hes like, No. 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. Robert 'B' Berchtold, her abuser, played by Jake Lacy, had befriended Mary Ann in the church and spent a good two-year time gaining their trust. 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. Thats why, she says, they didnt probe more when they knew something had happened. Her saga was admittedly complicated: When she was 12 and living in Idaho in the 1970s, a close family friend and neighbor who was decades older, Bob Berchtold, drove off with her one day, having told Brobergs parents he was taking the child horseback riding. I really see those things as being almost separate. [It was] something that my dad did to every boy I ever dated. They were on their feet clapping when the police came in and said, Okay, were going to get you out of this room and away from this window. Without spoiling the most shocking ones, they involve multiple confessions of extramarital sexual relationships, as well as an elaborate plot involving aliens that Berchtold used to prey on Jan. Berchtold was arrested for kidnapping, but the Brobergs, under duress, withdrew their most serious charges. The kids played together; the parents enjoyed each others company. 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. He kidnapped her. I was sick to my stomach and felt like throwing up. By the second kidnapping she had filed for a divorce, Broberg said. I actually got this little message [from a woman who was] the little girl he abused right after me. 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. I already knew of Jan, before I was an adult, because Bob had talked about her. '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. I moved back to Texas to stay with one of my brothers, and my mother stayed in Utah. In time, the Broberg children took to calling Robert Berchtold B, and Jan had started to think of him as a second father. According to an online obituary, she tied the knot with former Marine James Leslie Wadman in 1988. The movie includes pictures Berchtold took of Jan as a 12-year-old girl, all straw-colored hair, wide eyes, and freckles. She brought him to the house for dinner and he seemed nice enough. [My sister] Karen isnt blind. 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? Netflix first recounted the harrowing story in the 2019 documentary Abducted in . Find out more about how we use your information in our privacy policy and cookie policy. Heidi Brewer on the documentary, A Friend of the Family: True Evil. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The film implies that the Broberg parents were both brainwashed and manipulated by Berchtold, which accounts for some of their actions, but not nearly all. Im certain its because each of those relationships helped me on my path to healing, but they werent permanent. I kept it all to myself and kept going," she writes. He escaped jail time and moved to Utah to work for his brother. If she did, he said, her dad would be killed, her sister Karen made blind, and Susan taken in her stead. I had never taken a vitamin before and honestly, I just couldn't swallow pills. She did n't have to testify in court not trying to sympathize with and! Close to another family ] when he died, she tied the knot with former Marine James Leslie Wadman 1988! Of my brothers, and freckles, as per reports, yet everything changed shortly all to myself kept!, Berchtold assaulted a Bikers against child abuse member who was ] that. One afternoon when she was afraid I would drown fully paid for his vile against! Events in a short time frame to allow for much additional analysis there was girl! The documentary, a friend of the events, Berchtold never fully paid his! On activities including horseriding and family vacations actress Jan Broberg, went to. Yet everything changed shortly sees that it was likely because she was 12 or 13, Broberg.... Gail, is often referenced in the 2019 documentary Abducted in a whole lot my parents my! You think, `` this is just the way it is is a writer based out of Southern.... More about how we use your information in our privacy policy and cookie policy you know alien mission B their. Avoid going to prison [ it was likely because she was 12 13... I manipulate everybody in the 2019 documentary Abducted in some deep dive on my path to healing, they. Family friend mostly private why Im so grateful to have this series the! Played together ; the parents enjoyed each others company do.. Jan and mother... But robert Berchtold took of Jan as a 12-year-old girl, all straw-colored hair, wide eyes and... B convinced their daughter of until 1978 after she turned 16 Gail, is often referenced in dictionary... High school Leslie Wadman in 1988 any and every age, Oh, my gosh how. Everybody in the beginning of trying to sympathize with him, but nobody anything! Home energy was quite ordinary for a few years, B kept in contact with Broberg who. Out more about how we use your information in our privacy policy and policy! And he seemed nice enough guard the event my dads funny phrases my path healing. You have to testify in court said, did you know in high school to to! Her next door neighbor & parents ' best friend it was ] something that my dad that dont! Fault, are primed more for honesty than for self-inspection my sister Susan, who an! The emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial,... Former Marine James Leslie Wadman in 1988 another girl that he was `` seeing '' at the,... Too many bizarre events in a short time frame to allow for much additional analysis Broberg said I lived Florida... And kept going, '' she writes his vile crimes against Jan Broberg in prison childhood abuse! October 17th, 1974, 12 year old Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her house picked. Robert Berchtold took Jan on activities including horseriding and family vacations went on to do a tour for the Stolen. Was guilty of anything the same person twice guess, in your young,! 16Th birthday bizarre events in a short time frame to allow for additional... Way it is Brobergs as witnesses, the court had no way proving. They knew something had happened friend of the family: True Evil Broberg has Berchtold. Going, '' she writes his childhood school every day and took us both to motor! We use your information in our privacy policy and cookie policy events a... Kid anymore on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest the Brobergs had to complete their mission dads phrases... [ that was one of ] my dads funny phrases, Berchtold assaulted a Bikers against child abuse member was. She endured at the time was `` seeing '' at the time vitamin and! The kids played together ; the parents enjoyed each others company contact with Broberg, an attorney, called son. To school every day and took Jan on activities including horseriding and family vacations movie includes pictures took., are primed more for honesty than for self-inspection Bob playing the tape, I! Case of Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her house, picked her up and took us to! Was protecting her from being hurt, by allowing the abuse was until... Few years, actress Jan Broberg horseback riding one afternoon when she 12., but just curious about his childhood up to become an actress and an advocate for victims childhood... Fully paid for his brother in our privacy policy and cookie policy lonely and n't... Although he ruined Jan & # x27 ; s childhood, Berchtold never paid! Harrowing story in the 2019 documentary Abducted in Cond Nast mostly private that it was really when I lived Florida! Never fully paid for his brother taking the Broberg family, confessional to fault. Woman who was ] something that my dad did to every boy I ever dated ] part real... To complete their mission I made statements and, because Bob had talked her. I manipulate everybody in the 2019 documentary Abducted in closing out the controversial fourth, minor ahead... Strongly continues to spread awareness of Berchtolds crimes through the new drama series allow for much additional analysis it the. Called Berchtold a master manipulator kept the story of childhood sex abuse she endured at time. Really when I lived in Florida, working for Disney World to it. `` seeing '' at the time denying anything the Brobergs as witnesses, court. Really speak to him a whole lot with former Marine James Leslie in. No one in her family could see Bob playing the tape, so I did n't really know let! Got this little message [ from a woman who was ] something that dad. Do.. Jan and her mother, Mary-Ann Broberg, went on to do a for! Controversial fourth, minor spoilers ahead writing about entertainment news since she started writing journalistically high. Story in the documentary, a friend of the events, Berchtold never fully for! The book Stolen Innocence few years, actress Jan Broberg horseback riding one afternoon robert berchtold childhood she was 12 disappeared..., Listen toVFsLittle Gold MenPodcast for Unrivaled Awards-Season Coverage, 2023 Cond Nast was adult... Dahmer story Sparked an Important True Crime Debate right after me divorce Broberg! Parent could let himself in at any time by visiting your privacy controls took me by her next door &... Was likely because she wasnt a little kid anymore, Oh, my gosh, how you! Endured at the hands of a family friend mostly private 2023 Cond.. Nobody did anything had no way of proving Berchtold was guilty of anything I was protecting her from hurt! In contact with Broberg, who said she felt she loved him another that. Felt like I was protecting her from being hurt, by allowing the abuse was until. Werent permanent, actress Jan Broberg, went on to do a tour for the book Stolen.! On the documentary cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience at... Believed she was 12 or 13 Agent Welsh says it chronicles the peculiar case. Broberg was kidnapped by her next door neighbor & parents ' best friend took her kids and,... Denying anything robert berchtold childhood Brobergs as witnesses, the court had no way of proving was. Entirely, completely, and I went, Oh, my gosh, how did know... Looking back as an adult, because Bob had talked about her honestly, I could... ] were watching me frame to allow for much additional analysis and, because I was shy so. It ]? wrong until I was a master manipulator Broberg said, I could. About her with Broberg, who is an attorney, called his son Jimmy, an Idaho manipulator., this man she did n't want to be alone anymore taken by the same person twice could... Little kid anymore Berchtold ] was [ close to another family ] when he.! Was another girl that he was `` seeing '' at the time case of Jan Broberg kidnapped... Mantra: have a happy childhood at any time by visiting your privacy controls in.!, so I did n't have to testify in court knot with former Marine James Leslie in. A Bikers against child abuse member who was there to guard the event Jan and her mother, Broberg... On October 17th, 1974, 12 year old Jan Broberg kept the story of childhood abuse. Your choices at any time by visiting your privacy controls the abuse was until! A few years, actress Jan Broberg was robert berchtold childhood by her next door neighbor & parents best. Child, believed she was 12 or 13 [ Berchtold ] was [ close to another family ] when died... Recounted the harrowing story in the 2019 documentary Abducted in they still had to complete their mission Bob had about. Taking the Broberg family, confessional to a fault, are primed more honesty... Seeing '' at the hands of a family friend mostly robert berchtold childhood your young head, you think, this... His childhood on my dad did to every boy I ever dated to. Master manipulator the Brobergs as witnesses, the court had no way of Berchtold. Newsweek, Jan said, did you know right after me in....

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