Abducted in Plain Sight

[RangerPooh]

The mother talks about “B” like some women talk about the one who got away. Seemed as if she was still crushing, to some extent. That poor kid never stood a chance with those parents.

I have wondered if the mom was jealous of the attention that her daughter received from B. Concerned that if she said or did anything to upset him that he would leave, resulting in neither of them getting attention any longer.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

I have wondered if the mom was jealous of the attention that her daughter received from B. Concerned that if she said or did anything to upset him that he would leave, resulting in neither of them getting attention any longer.

I think she was absolutely jealous. When she was talking about her conversation with B after the first kidnapping, she was focused on him marrying Jan in Mexico. Not - why did you take my daughter, how could you do such terrible things to her, etc - but, why did you marry her.

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

YES! That, and the "therapy" they allowed him to use Jan for. Sleeping in her room 3/4 nights a week!! WHO in their right mind would allow that???

HORRIFIED! Who lets a grown man sleep with their young daughter 4x a week???
The Broberg girls should have been removed from their parents care permanently.
The FBI was heavily involved with this family. I can't believe a care & protection case was not opened.
SO MUCH WRONG HERE!

 

[snoodledoo]

The part that got me was the sexual encounter with the father. He just did what any good friend would do??? Like wut......the.....heck.

I don't believe for a second that there wasn't more that happened. That's just all the dad would admit to.

ick ick ick. Like everyone has said, it is unthinkable. That's why I think it was brainwashing in a cultish way. Somehow they were convinced there was some sort of greater good they were working for. They may not have been the brightest bulbs, but I didn't pick up on any lack of IQ, developmental disabilities or anything like that. The fact that they were willing to publicize their part in falling for this is certainly questionable IMO, but maybe they truly felt they would be educating other vulnerable people? Somehow they've all moved forward and forgiven both the parents for their part in this, so kudos to them for that. The love and loyalty of their now adult children certainly speaks well of the parents so there had to be some functionality there.

Maybe it speaks to exactly the opposite - some major dysfunction that they all just neatly sweep it under the rug and move on as a happy family. It doesn't seem that adult Jan has really understood how her parents completely failed her, not just because of their naivete / gullibility, but also because of their selfishness. She puts all the blame on B and how manipulative he was.

 

[lovin'fl]

HORRIFIED! Who lets a grown man sleep with their young daughter 4x a week???
The Broberg girls should have been removed from their parents care permanently.
The FBI was heavily involved with this family. I can't believe a care & protection case was not opened.
SO MUCH WRONG HERE!

As a social work major, who never practiced but did field placement in college, I can say you would be shocked (partly why I never became a SW) at what kind of circumstances and homes they leave children in.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

I don't believe for a second that there wasn't more that happened. That's just all the dad would admit to.



Maybe it speaks to exactly the opposite - some major dysfunction that they all just neatly sweep it under the rug and move on as a happy family. It doesn't seem that adult Jan has really understood how her parents completely failed her, not just because of their naivete / gullibility, but also because of their selfishness. She puts all the blame on B and how manipulative he was.

I think there's a lot more that isn't being said here. I also wonder if maybe Jan isn't as forgiving as she seems. Her parents agreed to do this documentary knowing the whole world would see it. I wonder if Jan went to them and said "Netflix is offering me $$$$$ to do a documentary on my story. That'll pay for a whole lot of therapy. Agree to it and I'll let you tell your version of the story and we can put all the blame on B. Don't agree and I'll tell my version."

 

[LSUmiss]

As a social work major, who never practiced but did field placement in college, I can say you would be shocked (partly why I never became a SW) at what kind of circumstances and homes they leave children in.

I am a social worker! I’ve seen some things

 

[LSUmiss]

I think there's a lot more that isn't being said here. I also wonder if maybe Jan isn't as forgiving as she seems. Her parents agreed to do this documentary knowing the whole world would see it. I wonder if Jan went to them and said "Netflix is offering me $$$$$ to do a documentary on my story. That'll pay for a whole lot of therapy. Agree to it and I'll let you tell your version of the story and we can put all the blame on B. Don't agree and I'll tell my version."

I think it’s just that the emotions about these kinds of things can be so complex. We saw a very brief glimpse of how she claims to feel. We really have no idea how she feels about her parents.

 

[kimblebee]

I don't think anyone is saying things didn't happen back then. They absolutely did and were probably more common than they are now that everyone is hyper aware of the possibility. Just that it was handled differently. It wasn't as out in the open as it is now. Like I said earlier, it was more - "Oh, don't leave your sons alone with Uncle Jim" or "No, you can't go over to that friend's house for a sleepover because her step-dad isn't right." At my elementary school we had a janitor that would give us candy, if we were willing to reach in his front pants pocket and fish around for it. He'd have been fired and arrested on the spot if he tried that now.



I remember stranger danger and don't take candy from people in vans, etc. But it was just that they might steal me, no one ever really stated what they might steal me for.

I can remember being in first grade (around ‘81 or ‘82) and the vice principal came into our room one day. A girl asked him to help her tie her shoe and he knelt down and said ‘first you have to give me a kiss on the cheek’. It wasn’t skeevy at all, he was a super nice guy. He’d be in jail if that had happened now.

 

[mmouse37]

My DIL watched it the other night and all we kept saying was "what the heck". How could those parents be so dumb. More worried about their relationships with B than what was actually happening to their own child. We could not stop shaking our heads. If I didn't see it for myself in the documentary I would never believe it as real story that people could be so manipulated. Totally bizarre. I also think it had something to do their religion.

MJ

 

[aprilgail]

YES! That, and the "therapy" they allowed him to use Jan for. Sleeping in her room 3/4 nights a week!! WHO in their right mind would allow that???

I watched this the other day and all I thought was “this can’t be real” but unbelievably it was!

I agree with all of the sentiments here. What also bothers me is that the parents have agreed to be in this documentary so that others can learn, but it seems like they haven't quite learned their lesson either. As the father was talking about his "encounter" with B in the car, he broke down and cried. He said something along the lines of, "That was the day I made the biggest mistake of my life. To break my wife's trust." ........THAT was the biggest mistake of his life? He's still thinking of himself instead of his daughter. There were many, many bigger mistakes that he made.
.

That was crazy-that pervert worked his way through half of that damn family. I am just speechless that the father talked about the whole thing with him and “b” as like a -just friends helping each other out, like boys will be boys type thing. Ugh.

 

[skyblue17]

This entire thing was bananas and unsettling, but I was particularly unsettled at the end when one of the now grown sisters was crying about how awful it could have been if not for her amazing parents. There was more going on in this whole thing than this documentary even touched, I think!

 

[mnrose]

I was stunned watching that. Both Jan's parents were delusional in my opinion. Like NEVER ever ever ever ever would I have let a grown man lay down with my daughter. Like WTH?!?!

 

[willowsnn3]

After the first few minutes, I too was thinking WTH??

But I keep wondering about 'B's' own family. I know they talked a little about his wife but whatever became of their children?

 

[Kim&Chris]

The part that got me was the sexual encounter with the father. He just did what any good friend would do??? Like wut......the.....heck.

I found that insanely disturbing.

My jaw dropped about 20 times while watching this. Between the ridiculously naive parents, Jan continuing to believe in the aliens, and a dozen other things.....I'm still shaking my head.

 

[monsterkitty]

After the first few minutes, I too was thinking WTH??

But I keep wondering about 'B's' own family. I know they talked a little about his wife but whatever became of their children?

I wondered this myself so I googled. I got sidetracked by this article: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/ent...leted-scene-gun-jan-broberg-robert-berchtold/

 

[willowsnn3]

I wondered this myself so I googled. I got sidetracked by this article: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/ent...leted-scene-gun-jan-broberg-robert-berchtold/

Yeah, I kinda searched around some too & popular opinion is that the ex wife & kids probably changed their names & went into hiding.

 

[aprilgail]

Yeah, I kinda searched around some too & popular opinion is that the ex wife & kids probably changed their names & went into hiding.

I can find the mom goes by Gail Wadman now and lives in Utah and works/worked at a state liquor store. And one of his kids lives in Wyoming and still goes by last name Berchtold. I ran the wife’s name through a background search service I have.

 

[chiamarie]

(I only skimmed all the previous posts, so sorry if was brought up already)

As someone who grew up in Utah, my mom is from a very small town in Wyoming (very similar to this small idaho town) and in the morning culture in the 90s. I totally see how this happened.

The Mormon community is a very unique one. Kind of how someone brought up people willing to sacrifice their children to cults and cult leaders.

This guy was a wonderful manipulator. And played the parents perfectly to get what he needed from them. That girl didn't stand a chance, nor did her parents.

It's really hard for anyone who hasn't been submeresed in the Mormon culture to understand. They are very trusting, naive, ignorant to bad things/people. I mean, there were (as with several different religions) Bishops regularly molesting, raping young girls when they had their private meetings. And nothing was ever said or done about it, and that came out in the last 10 or so years. Let alone almost 50 years ago!

Is it horrific and crazy, yes. But unreasonable and unrealistic? Not in the least.

 

[mnrose]

(I only skimmed all the previous posts, so sorry if was brought up already)

As someone who grew up in Utah, my mom is from a very small town in Wyoming, and in the morning culture in the 90s. I totally see how this happened.

The Mormon community is a very unique one. Kind of how someone brought up people willing to sacrifice their children to cults and cult leaders.

This guy was a wonderful manipulator. And played the parents perfectly to get what he needed from them. That girl didn't stand a chance, nor did her parents.

It's really hard for anyone who hasn't been submeresed in the Mormon culture to understand. They are very trusting, naive, ignorant to bad things/people. I mean, there were (as with several different religions) Bishops regularly molesting, raping young girls when they had their private meetings. And nothing was ever said or done about it, and that came out in the last 10 or so years. Let alone almost 50 years ago!

Is it horrific and crazy, yes. But unreasonable and unrealistic? Not in the least.

And, that is just very very sad.