That is my goal.. I was shy, so I didn't really speak to him a whole lot. 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 The man Berchtold saw was not a licensed psychologist his license had been revoked. It didn't take long before Bob had his own key and could come and go as he pleased. 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. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. We will find the advocacy and the legal ways to put serial predators behind bars. The kids played together; the parents enjoyed each others company. . Jake Lacy Biography. [Id get] phone calls and other scares. Jake Lacy as Bob Berchtold and Hendrix Yancey as a young Jan Broberg in Peacocks A Friend of the Family. They settled in Utah, where . . 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He continued to try to terrorize me in the weirdest ways. Privacy Policy. He, on some other level, was able to truly do what great actors do, which is to figure out what, What do I want? Directed by Skye Borgman, Abducted in Plain Sight begins in the early 1970s in Pocatello, Idaho. 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. Ive watched it several times nowThat has consistently been the one [that bothered me]. Watch the exclusive trailer for the sharp upcoming series, starring Washington as a single mom whose father (Delroy Lindo) comes to live with her after being released from prison. I was making great strides in my life and my career and my familyall the things that I am so grateful for. They didnt forgive him. On October 17th, 1974, 12 year old Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her next door neighbor & parents' best friend. You have a cameo in the final episode. But what kind of sexual abuse did he go through? Bob noticed that Berchtold had become sexually aroused. So I didn't feel wanted. Its too painful for them to realize that they allowed that to happen to her.. 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. Jan and her mother, Mary-Ann Broberg, went on to do a tour for the book Stolen Innocence. Some people know him as Robert or "B," but he was Bob or Dad to me. The day after the series premiered, Broberg says she feels huge relief that a more complete version of the story is available. Yet only 10 minutes of my story made the documentary. She was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by her neighbor and family friend Robert "B." Berchtold when she was 12 and again when she was 14. Click Manage settings for more information and to manage your choices. Bagby's childhood friend, director Kurt Kunnee began shooting Dear Zachary after Bagby's murder. He found my apartment and called my apartment. I wonder if he abused her at all? Although Berchtold feigned ignorance regarding Jans whereabouts, Welsh and investigators knew he was responsible for her disappearance. I dont know why, but I did.. 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 wasnt until 30 years later, after Mary Ann had published her book Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story, that they heard from him again. He said he wanted me to take a vitamin. 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 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. He escaped jail time and moved to Utah to work for his brother. You can change your choices at any time by visiting your privacy controls. Berchtold allegedly raped Broberg hundreds of times. Oh dear. 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. Oh. Yet, despite the wealth of content, many viewers continue to have questions over exactly what happened to Robert Berchtold after the traumatic events. [There] was the brainwashing that was groomed into me before I was kidnapped[like being led to believe] that there were aliens. Without the Brobergs as witnesses, the court had no way of proving Berchtold was guilty of anything. Which he adds, emphatically, They. B took a particular interest in 12-year-old Jan as well, often showering her with gifts and inviting her on trips. 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. All but 45 days of his prison sentence were suspended, and B ended up only serving 10 days in prison. In 2005, Berchtold was found guilty of the assault committed during the Stolen Innocence book tour. 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. Where are you in the healing process now? His brother Joe had even visited while Jan was there, and he noted that Robert, looked happier than hed ever been.. I never saw a psychiatrist or a therapist. She had that same kind of brightness. When I woke up and that voice was therepeople often say, How long did it take for you to be brainwashed to believe that [aliens had kidnapped you]. I said, 10 secondswhen I [first] heard the voice [in the RV]. The planting of the seeds is where all of that nefarious grooming and manipulation happened, before that moment. Broberg, now. Let me inform you that Read More Robert Berchtold Wiki, Wife, Age, Family, Brother . This is happening everywhere right now in 2022. He is survived by his wife, Deanna; sons, Jerry, James, Joseph, Yes. The Brobergs were going to call the police until Gail Berchtold, Roberts wife, asked them not to. I reached out to Jan after I came across her book, and we exchanged a few emails. That is the only reason we told our story. Theres a lot more to the story. Berchtold was sentenced to five years in prison anyway but served only 10 days. 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. 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. This is the story of Robert Berchtold, the predator at the center of Netflixs Abducted in Plain Sight who groomed and manipulated an entire family. She brought him to the house for dinner and he seemed nice enough. 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. Having not wanted to spend an extended period of time in prison, Robert Berchtold died by suicide during November of that year. It was like he was talking about an ex-girlfriend. 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. Either it happened to you, Julie, or it happened to somebody close to you. How are you, Susan? In a new book, Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story, Felt's mother reveals the details of the actress's childhood memories. Youve revisited this chapter of your life before in your books, documentary, and speaking engagements. He said he would abuse his daughter, Jill, if I didn't comply. [My sister] Karen isnt blind. He was a salesman and my mother had contacted him about purchasing a traveling franchise. I found out from Jan that Bob died by suicide in 2005. We watched Planet of the Apes on TV. I think people get [now how] we were so close to the [Berchtold] family.. 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. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Robert Berchtold. Although he ruined Jans childhood, Berchtold never fully paid for his vile crimes against Jan Broberg in prison. My sister Susan, who is an attorney, called his son Jimmy, an attorney. 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. 18 months later, while out on bail & awaiting trial for kidnapping, Robert Berchtold abducted Jan for the 2nd time, triggering FBI manhunt. 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. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. I guess she wanted a little girl who she could dress up like a doll, but I was a tomboy. His mother was still alive during the whole ordeal, she would have been 60 years old or so when he abducted Jan, Must have been hard for her witnessing this of her son. He wouldn't talk directly to young Broberg, but she would curiously listen to conversations about UFOs that B and her parents had in the kitchen. "You have to think again how the grooming happens," Broberg explained. B took the Broberg children and his own to science-fiction films in the two years prior to kidnapping Jan Broberg. But I didnt know what was missing in the conversation. Taylor Swifts opening act on her debut album, Trumps Relationship With Jared and Ivanka. Thats really my mantra: Have a happy childhood at any and every age. Lets figure it out. That was a really crazy little period of time. Much of the outrage targets Jans parents, who participated fully in the documentary, and whose behavior in response to Berchtolds prolonged abuse of their daughter strikes many viewers as shockingly inadequate at best. Many people did. Robert Ersol Berchtold, 69, of Logandale, died Nov. 11, 2005. When Bob was 3 yrs old his father passed away and in 1939 his mother married Joseph Ersol Berchtold who raised Bob and . A friend sent it to them. How is this possible? I never in a million years thought this guy was stupid enough to show his face [around me]. The story is dramatized. Heidi Brewer with her son and two daughters. Born May 17, 1930, in Beaver Falls, he was the son of the late . Her sons were quite a bit older than methe youngest was seven or eight years older than meand I don't remember them being in the house much. I kept it all to myself and kept going," she writes. He got very angry. He took us to science-fiction movies. Berchtold was born on February 7, 1936 in Tremonton, Utah. Through therapy, she learned to forgive them for not stopping the years of abuse she endured from B. Berchtold would show up to the events and pass out fliers denying anything the Brobergs had to say about him. My mother worked two jobs, so there was a lot of time for that. It was sad that I didnt know some of the things that I know now. All he ever got was a slap on the wrist, and then he was able to continue as before. Ive met her and talked to her. BRIGHAM CITY - Robert Ersol Berchtold, age 69, died Frida, November 11, 2005, in Bunkerville, Nevada. He had a sick obsession with Jan, which eventually led to her kidnapping when she was only 12 years old in October 1974. What was it like to film that? 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 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. It was only five or six years ago, when I found Jan Broberg's book about her ordeal and contacted her, that I found out he had only served a year in prison after being found guilty of the rape of a child. She had slowly begun to question whether the aliens were real, but a small part of her still believed in them. He was sentenced to five years probation and five years in prison. These guys were crazy and those stupid people, then we failed. I made statements and, because I was a minor, I didn't have to testify in court. 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. 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. He was born February 7, 1936, in Tremonton, Utah to Leonard N. and Lucille Grover Berchtold. The series itself elegantly and subtly captures in a vivid way the crimes of Berchtold but also the naive air of the 1970s and the seeming inability to comprehend the disturbing nature of such predatory crimes. I didnt know people wouldnt get it. Thank you for taking the time to have this conversation. Jannow Jan Broberg Felt, an actor whos appeared in Criminal Minds and Everwoodhas subsequently defended her mother and father. "That's a story I heard at Christmas time.". I actually got this little message [from a woman who was] the little girl he abused right after me. The Berchtold family also had a baby girl when they met in the Peacock dramatization. Up until her kidnapping at the age of 12, Broberg describes her childhood in Pocatello as wonderful and idyllic. With her mother, she wrote a book, "Stolen Innocence," about her experiences. We will do a better job. Now, Jan said, she sees that it was likely because she wasnt a little kid anymore. 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. I get to be the examiner. It took Jan years to learn to cope with the damage Robert Berchtold inflicted on her. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. In actuality, though, Jan explained that Berchtold had just been careful. I didnt want to marry her, Broberg said. [They made it] look like my childhood home. Jake Lacy is a well-known American actor who has appeared on The Office, Girls, The White Lotus, Better with You, and I'm Dying Up Here. Thats like looking at my brainwashed self again. You have to believe victims. Shes your daughter. I could read the scripts. My mother had four biological sons and she wanted a girl, so she adopted me. Its very close in every way to how it truthfully unfolded. After earning the Broberg family's trust with his charismatic personality, Berchtold began grooming daughter Jan (Mckenna Grace and Hendrix Yancey in different time periods) in 1972, and. After years of intense grooming, Jan started to gain romantic feelings towards Berchtold. [The older sister] came to the conference when he showed up with the gun. And so many adults knew, but nobody did anything. I wasnt prepared for people to blame my parents. They didn't find out about the alien mission B convinced their daughter of until 1978 after she turned 16. 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. Robert kidnapped Jan Broberg, who was only 12 years old girl. 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