Jan Broberg’s Parents: Where Are Bob and Mary Now?

Jan Broberg’s Parents: Where Are Bob and Mary Now?

The story of Jan Broberg is examined in “Abducted in Plain Sight” on Netflix and “A Friend of the Family” on Peacock, and via both of these depictions, we are given a genuine understanding of how gullible belief may frequently result in unrealized tragedy. After all, the titles imply that the respected neighbour of the Brobergs, a devout Christian family man named Robert “Bob” Berchtold, was the one who was responsible for successfully kidnapping the young girl not once, but twice in the 1970s. For the time being, though, if all you want to do is find out more about her parents — particularly with regard to the role they played in this situation, the manipulation they were subjected to, as well as their current standing – we’ve got you covered.

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Who Are Jan Broberg’s Parents?
On July 31, 1962, Jan Broberg was born as the eldest of three daughters to Robert “Bob” Dean Broberg and Mary Ann Buck Broberg, who were both fervent members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jan Broberg is the oldest of her sisters. After getting married in a Utah temple a little over a year earlier, on April 20, 1961, the couple ultimately decided to make their home in the former’s homeland of Pocatello, Idaho, which is known for its tranquilly and natural beauty. It was there that the graduate of Idaho State University and Brigham Young University started his lifelong job as a florist, while Mary worked hard as a happy homemaker to raise their three daughters, whose names are Jan, Karen, and Susan.

Because Bob and Mary were caring people who lived in the suburbs, they were susceptible to the allure of Robert Berchtold not long after he moved into the area with his family in the early 1970s. This is what caused Bob and Mary to fall for Berchtold so quickly. After that, the two families became undeniably close, spending time together at church parties, sharing dinners, and even travelling on trips. However, the younger generation of the latter family soon became somewhat fascinated with their oldest child. The Brobergs did find his behaviour weird on occasion, but they never considered that he would abduct their daughter Jan, so they waited a few days before reporting her missing in October 1974. They never believed that he would take her against their will.

Five weeks later, Jan was recovered from Mexico, but Robert was able to evade all severe penalties by manipulating her parents into signing an affidavit indicating that they had approved him to travel with Jan. This happened five weeks after Jan was rescued. Robert used the fact that Bob had helped his then-friend get off in his vehicle after hearing that his wife Gail Berchtold no longer sexually pleased him as a club to his advantage in order to exert pressure on Gail and Bob. Bob had done this in the past. The only object that was used to execute this act was hands, according to the reports, and even though it doesn’t make a difference, it’s possible that it was only a one-time affair because he never disclosed any additional incidents that took place.

However, one of the most puzzling parts of this case is the alleged fact that Mary Ann continued to care for Robert (or “B”); in reality, she began having an affair with him in the spring of 1975 and prolonged it for a total of eight months. Because of this, the matriarch unknowingly made it possible for him to pay repeated visits to a willing Jan, and she even let her travel to Wyoming by herself so that she could spend nearly two weeks travelling throughout the country with her captor in his motor home. After that, Robert kidnapped the adolescent once more in August of 1976, but the FBI was able to track her down in California after a period of four months. This discovery ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the Brobergs’ relationship with the Berchtolds’ family.

Jan Broberg’s Parents

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Where Are Jan Broberg’s Parents Now?
In the middle of the 1970s, frustrated by Mary Ann’s acts as well as the way that each and every one of them put their daughters in danger, Bob did file for divorce, but they were soon able to work things out and get back together for good. In point of fact, the couple stayed happily married until the latter passed away on November 5, 2018, at the age of 80 in Santa Clara, Utah. This indicates that they constructed a stable existence together for at least 57 years. It is important to point out that he was quite pleased with the way their family story was portrayed in the film “Abducted in Plain Sight,” which was motivated by the book “Stolen Innocence” written in 2003 by his wife and daughter.

“Bob said that he was just so thankful that we had portrayed their story in such a sensitive way,” documentary filmmaker Skye Borgman honestly told Vanity Fair back in 2019. “Bob said that he was just so grateful that we had presented their story in such a sensitive way.” “It was really very stunning to me, and I think it speaks more to the Brobergs’ ability for honesty and forgiveness and simply wanting to get that narrative out there,” I said. “It was really quite shocking to me.” In addition, it is of the utmost importance to point out that despite the massive public backlash, Jan does not blame her parents in any way, shape, or form. She believes that they were victims just like her. Jan once said on Twitter, “[My parents] didn’t notice the paedophile [in Robert].” [Robert] “From all appearances, he was a good guy: married, successful businessman, and active in his religion. The grooming was done in a methodical and consistent manner over the course of 2.5 years.

During the first several years of their relationship, Jan did have a great deal of resentment toward Bob and Mary Ann; nevertheless, she eventually forgiven them after learning that they did the best they could with the constraints that were placed upon them. She stated, “My parents didn’t deny or try to diminish what they’d done,” and she meant it. “They said that we had committed the most heinous of errors,” They admitted that they were to blame for it. They did not attempt to defend themselves and instead listened to what I had to say, which improved the quality of their relationship. As a result, Mary Ann accepts responsibility for what occurred in the past, despite the fact that she wishes events had never transpired in the manner in which they did.

Mary Ann explained, “I honestly felt as though he controlled me in so many different ways, and the whole family too.” “If there’s one thing I could change about my life, it would be him to not have met him. He was an expert at making everyone believe that they should put him at the top of their to-do list. Concerning the location of the woman at the present time, we have reason to believe that she lives in close proximity to both Jan and Susan in Utah, the state to which she relocated in 2006. However, we are aware that the kid advocate is a retired social worker who specialises in both adoption and foster care, despite the fact that she does not maintain a particularly active presence on her various social media platforms these days.