Many people did. Now I do. Directed by Skye Borgman, Abducted in Plain Sight begins in the early 1970s in Pocatello, Idaho. We were in a car, and Bob pulled into a random neighborhood. He continued to try to terrorize me in the weirdest ways. He holds a bachelor's degree in screenwriting (widely considered to be a bad move) from Point Park University. It was Jan.. You can live in the 90%, which is the rest of your life, and be in charge. You have to believe victims. 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. And then he had her wait outside while he abused me. They had no idea about the abuse. She had me stay the night with a friend and invited her friends over. It is a lifelong process. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. In 1972 in Pocatello, Idaho, when the Broberg family met the Berchtold family at church, immediately the . But I didnt know what was missing in the conversation. "Everybody loved him.". He was sentenced to five years probation and five years in prison. He also ensnared her parents (Anna Paquin and Colin Hanks), seducing them too into relationships that would blur their vision and later be sources for blackmail. But . According to Newsweek, Jan Broberg grew up to become an actress and an advocate for victims of childhood sexual abuse. When they showed up at the front door, my dad would stick his hand out and go, Hello, doctor. And then they would come in and he would give them the corsage that he had made for me, to give to them, so they could give it to me for free. 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. Thank you for taking the time to have this conversation. 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. Jan and her mother, Mary-Ann Broberg, went on to do a tour for the book Stolen Innocence. But six other women came forward with their own stories about Berchtold, and Jan Broberg filed a stalking injunction against him after he was arrested at one of her speaking engagements. 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." Broberg, now. Broberg told. The undeniably horrific saga of Jan Broberg's kidnapping at the hands of her neighbor Robert Berchtold not once but twice while she was 12 and 14, respectively, is honestly unlike any other. It really was amazing. Who would know? What was it like to film that? 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. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. It was released on October 2022 on Peacock and had its finale on November 10, where Jan Broberg appeared as Dr. Carr, the real therapist the Berborg worked with. 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. The Brobergs seemingly knew. 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. I didn't know it was wrong right away. The first abduction occurred when she was just 12 years old and the second, two years later, at the age of 14. They consulted with me constantly. I felt she had dismissed me. Now I wont be able to sleep.. Heidi Brewer met Broberg while filming this documentary. The movie includes pictures Berchtold took of Jan as a 12-year-old girl, all straw-colored hair, wide eyes, and freckles. If they didnt, she said, then everyone would know about Bob and Roberts sexual exchange. Its like a heavy coat that I wore and that was a burden for me until the day I decided I could take it off. All but 45 days of his prison sentence were suspended, and B ended up only serving 10 days in prison. In January 1974, Robert Berchtold was rebuked by the LDS . But she called the police. Berchtolds wife, Gail, is often referenced in the beginning of. It was sad that I didnt know some of the things that I know now. He explained to Bob that he had a traumatic childhood, including having sex with an aunt when he was four. He was a truck driver and served in the U.S. Army . Although Bob and Mary Ann Broberg refused, Berchtold returned home with Jan and things somehow went back to normal without any charges pressed. Then he twisted that into, They want us to get married, and then everything will be okay. That was a really crazy little period of time. The result is a documentary that exposes them for public scrutiny without pausing to really interrogate their actions. "You have to think again how the grooming happens," Broberg explained. Before we moved to Salt Lake City, my mother had been so overprotective of me that I wasn't allowed to play in the front yard by myself. 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. He drugged her and transported her to Mexico in his RV. Then, on Christmas Eve, Gail Berchtold stopped by the Brobergs house and asked them to drop any charges against her husband, presenting them with affidavits to sign. Robert Berchtold was a well-known American truck driver, media face, retired US Army Officer who served the country during the Vietnam War and was also a convicted criminal suspect who kidnapped a too-young girl Jan Broberg in the 1970s. By Nicky Idika. I could read the scripts. The master manipulator from Utha has a lengthy history of having a particular lust for young females. How is this possible? I never in a million years thought this guy was stupid enough to show his face [around me]. Bob kidnapped Jan twice, whereas he never kidnapped me. After Jan threatened to find her own way there, Mary Ann bought her a plane ticket and sent her to Berchtold. It tells the story of how the Brobergs' close family friend and neighbor, Robert Berchtold, developed a fascination with then 12-year-old Jan Broberg. All views expressed in this article are the author's own. 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. So I felt like I was protecting her from being hurt, by allowing the abuse to happen. Jan was one of three daughters born to Bob Broberg, a florist, and Mary Ann. If Jan wasnt pregnant and Susan refused to take Jans place, she was going to shoot Susan and then herself. [Id get] phone calls and other scares. Berchtold would show up to the events and pass out fliers denying anything the Brobergs had to say about him. I was adopted. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. What happened to the Berchtold children? He found me when I lived in Florida, working for Disney World. Berchtold had a family of his own, and his children would often play with the Broberg kids, including Jan, according to ATI. But I could see Bob playing the tape, so I didn't believe him. But what kind of sexual abuse did he go through? That friend, Robert Berchtold, calls Jans mother, Mary Ann, and falsely tells her that Jan is prostituting herself and selling drugs. Broberg woke up strapped to a bed in an unidentifiable confined space that she learned years later was B's mobile home. He called me before it came on the news. "I had my moments of being angry and upset," Broberg says about resentment towards her parents. I get to be the decision-maker of how I move forward. Berchtold was sentenced to five years in prison anyway but served only 10 days. 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 was a truck driver and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. 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. I could look at the coat. 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]. He brainwashed her with false narratives in order to sexually abuse her. Berchtold made it clear to Jan that she couldnt talk about any of their sexual encounters to anyone, and she complied since she trusted him. Berchtold continually raped Jan as he drove his motorhome to Mexico, where the minimum age requirement for marriage was only 12 years old. They didn't find out about the alien mission B convinced their daughter of until 1978 after she turned 16. 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. He is survived by his wife, Deanna; sons, Jerry, James, Joseph, For years, actress Jan Broberg kept the story of childhood sex abuse she endured at the hands of a family friend mostly private. I mean, its pretty tough, I feel bad for all of them, she said. 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. I made statements and, because I was a minor, I didn't have to testify in court. 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." Watching Jake Lacy become Berchtold was seamless. That forever changed my DNA. Information about your device and internet connection, like your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and apps. I could do that too, but I didnt have to wear it all the time. Jan, being a child, believed she was in love with him and that they still had to complete their mission. 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. If she failed to do this, the aliens warned, her sister Susan would be chosen instead, and harm would come to the rest of her family. My mother worked two jobs, so there was a lot of time for that. 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). She never expressed any remorse for what happened, never apologized. Due to the violence at her book tour, Jan Broberg filed a restraining order against Berchtold, which she was granted for life. He frequently called Mary Ann, confessing his love to her and asking her to meet him in Utah to talk about everything. In particular, the fact that the Berchtolds and the Brobergs were all part of the same faith community seems to merit more analysis than it receives. Our two families, with the popcorn, watched Star Trek and Lost in Space. 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. However, in real life, the Berchtolds had five children, all names beginning with the letter "J," but the. When Bob was 3 yrs old his father passed away and in 1939 his mother married Joseph Ersol Berchtold who raised Bob and . 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. As Jans 16th birthday approached, Berchtolds contact became less frequent. But when we got to his apartment, his kids weren't there. Robert Berchtold sexually abused Jan Broberg for several years and manipulated her and her family. These guys were crazy and those stupid people, then we failed. 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. In hindsight, I don't think Bob would ever have done anything to Jill. 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. All but 45 days of his prison sentence were suspended, and B ended up only serving 10 days in prison, according to the documentary. It's hard to say what impact the abuse had on my life. She divorced him and took her kids and moved., Gail was not featured in the documentary. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. The details that follow spiral quickly from strange to appalling. I mean, he just never really stopped. In one, her underwear is clearly visible. I knew what he was doing, Bob said. Without the Brobergs as witnesses, the court had no way of proving Berchtold was guilty of anything. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Im not in contact with them. In 1974, he abducted the then 12-year-old, and once again two years later. He said he wanted me to take a vitamin. Jan Broberg was kidnapped twice by her own neighbor and trusted family friend, Robert Berchtold. I finally told my mother about the abuse. 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. Between 1972 and 1976, he eventually kidnapped and wed her. Berchtold was born on February 7, 1936 in Tremonton, Utah. That was heartbreaking. So if we can find that community of support and do that, then that will not only raise awareness, it will prevent future abuse. 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. 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. 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 even showed up at a speaking engagement of yours with a gun. Robert Berchtold is an abuser who groomed the Broberg family in order to become close to their 12-year-old daughter Jan. Congratulations on the seriesI definitely understand so much more about your experience. In October 1974, Berchtold. I told my husband about what happened but he doesn't want to know the details. Although he ruined Jans childhood, Berchtold never fully paid for his vile crimes against Jan Broberg in prison. Generally, I am pretty happy and pretty great about 90% of the time. About a month later, Bob took me to Ogden for the weekend to meet his five kids. Was your deprogramming gradual over the years, or was there one turning point in your life where everything clicked? I wanted to play in the dirt and toss a football. Watch it on Netflix. After all, as profiled in both Netflix's 'Abducted in Plain Sight' as well as Peacock's 'A . He turned sideways and you could almost see him reaching back to start a tape recorder. 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. They didnt forgive him. It was like he was talking about an ex-girlfriend. Ive met her and talked to her. 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. 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. He was sentenced to five years probation and five years in prison. Oh dear. I did this terrible thingthat part took me until that day I hung up the coat. 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. The Skye Borgmandirected documentary condensed this tale into 91 minutes. 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. Robert Berchtold's childhood The documentary only slightly went into "B's" past. In a new book, Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story, Felt's mother reveals the details of the actress's childhood memories. When Broberg was 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. Jan Broberg is now the executive producer on the Peacock miniseries based on her life, A Friend Of The Family. (2001), Listen toVFsLittle Gold MenPodcast for Unrivaled Awards-Season Coverage, 2023 Cond Nast. 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 . He brought her to California and enrolled her in a Catholic school, posing as her father and a CIA agent, according to the documentary. I'm still in the struggle. They were just extraordinary. Bagby's childhood friend, director Kurt Kunnee began shooting Dear Zachary after Bagby's murder. He was a salesman and my mother had contacted him about purchasing a traveling franchise. You can never blame them or their family members who didnt know. Im certain its because each of those relationships helped me on my path to healing, but they werent permanent. That brainwashing, for me, was something that [lasted] a short period of time. Robert Berchtold Wikipedia Bio. Does anyone else know anything about his childhood? 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. Berchtold said he was listening to a series of tapes meant to help curb his desire, but also claimed that he would need to spend more time with Jan to help him get over his obsession. 1974, he Abducted the then 12-year-old, and once again two years later great about 90 % the. 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