Awesome - Man Hid Terrifying Truth At His Family Farm For Years
It's hard to imagine what the end of the world would look like, as it hasn't happened yet. Even so, people still prepare for it. When a secret bunker was found on a farm in the Netherlands, police were floored by how this family of six were surviving, "waiting for the end of time." But as investigators dug further into the group, they uncovered a tragic story that left the entire community shaken.
An Extraordinary Bar Visitor
When 25-year-old Jan Zon van Dorsten took a stroll down to his local bar, The Café de Kastelein, in October 2019, he took a seat and promptly ordered five beers. The bar patrons may have noticed that something was a bit off with Jan.
Opening Up
Jan managed to take another solo trip to the bar a few days later, this time talking up the bar's owner, Chris Westerbeek. As they talked, Chris began to realize that Jan had been through some... stuff.
Rough Appearance
His hair appeared ratty, his clothes were unkempt, and he just seemed to be overall confused. The more they got to talking, the more pieces of the puzzle Chris put together. Jan needed help, and he needed it ASAP.
Urgent Help
"He said he had run away and needed urgent help, and that he had never been to school. Then we called the police,” Chris disclosed to local broadcaster RTV Drenthe. It became a heavier conversation than Chris had anticipated.
Brothers And Sisters
"He said he had brothers and sisters who lived at the farm. He said he was the oldest and wanted to end the way they were living." Police immediately went to investigate Jan's "home," that word being used quite loosely. His home life was a living nightmare.
Secret Passage
Police inspected a remote farmhouse in Ruinerwold, where Jan and his family lived. The officers found a hidden staircase behind a cupboard in the living room, which unbelievably led to a secret space.
Six Captives
"We found six people living in a small space in the house, which could be locked but wasn't a basement," police stated. This weird, secret room housed a 67-year-old man and five young adults aged 18 to 25 years old. Were they prisoners? It was a puzzling scene.
Simple Life
Throughout the family's lengthy time in seclusion, they lived off the land, as the farm possessed a vegetable garden and a goat. Yes, one singular goat. RTV Drenthe reported that when Jan's five siblings were initially discovered in the bunker, the poor souls thought they were the Earth's last surviving humans.
Strange Handyman
Not only was this bizarre family of sorts found hidden beneath the farmhouse, but a 58-year-old Austrian handyman, named Josef B., was, too, found on the property, which was camouflaged by hefty, towering vegetation.
In The Dark
Reports say that Josef B. was the one paying the farmhouse's rent, the landlords, Klaas Rooze and Alida ten Oever, having not one clue that there was also a family residing in the underbelly of the farmhouse. Josef B. was promptly arrested for refusing to cooperate with the investigation.
Looking For Answers
“We knew absolutely nothing of this. We rented the house for years to one man and now we learn someone was living there with children. We have no idea who it can be," Alida explained.
Off The Grid
Not only were the landlords shocked, but so was the local mayor. "I've never seen anything like it," mayor Roger de Groot said. He continued by revealing that many of the family members hadn't even been locally registered.
Lock And Key
Since police found no records that proved the siblings were residents of the district (as Jan had warned the police), it's believed that they may have been relocated to the farmhouse bunker and held captive. Let's not try and imagine where they were initially held hostage.
Mother Mystery
So, where does the mother fall into this disconcerting tale? Well Roger de Groot also disclosed in a press conference that the mother of the family passed away before they moved into the farmhouse bunker.
Social Media Presence
This disquieting story holds a lot of unknowns, including who the keeper of Jan's mysterious social media accounts is. Jan has had a blooming social media presence since June, posting on both Instagram and LinkedIn, which is obviously odd. However, no one knows if Jan was actually operating the accounts himself.
Apocalypse Family
Reports said the family was living in isolation "waiting for the end of time." But recent social media posts made by Jan further indicate that the siblings simply may have been held hostage.
Contact with the Outside
While it may have been a living nightmare, it's not clear if the young adult siblings were confined to the small space round-the-clock. Josef B. allegedly owned a carpentry business, which saw captive Jan as an employee for months, but that's not to say he definitely had contact with the outside world.
Bizarre Questions
Similarly, Ruinerwold resident Jeffrey Scheper had contact with Jan a week and a half prior to his climactic visit to The Café de Kastelein. Jeffrey claimed that Jan had asked him for a job and new clothes. Hmm.
So Many Questions
“We tried to ask questions, among other things because he said he had not been outside for nine years. Is it a belief? A cult? He said 'yes,' nothing more,” Jeffrey said of his conversation with Jan and Chris Westerbeek at the bar.
Who Is Guilty?
Some struggled to call Jan a victim, given his multiple opportunities to search for help. Well, it's a more common phenomenon than you'd think; we know you've heard of Stockholm syndrome. But without all the details, it's hard to say.
Cracking Down
Then, on October 17th, a Dutch judge ordered Josef B. to detention for 14 days due to "suspicion of illegal deprivation of liberty and money laundering." In the meantime, the investigation continued.
Jan's Father
Dutch police soon arrested another suspect in this roller coaster of a story: the 67-year-old man who was thought to be the father of the siblings, Gerrit Jan van Dorsten. His involvement at first baffled police.
Secret Plans
Well, according to police, he is suspected of being a “co-perpetrator of unlawful deprivation of liberty and of abuse, in the sense of prejudicing the health of others and money laundering.” And as it turns out, Gerrit may have known Josef B. for quite a while...
Cult Leader
Once Josef B.'s arrest became public news, his brother Franz suggested that Josef B. is a frighteningly persuasive man with “greedy, calculating and unpredictable” qualities. Oh, yeah, Franz also mentioned that Josef B. may have ties to a cult.
Dangerous Beliefs
Franz, who hasn't seen his brother in 10 years, suspected that Josef B. met Gerrit in the '90s through an Austrian cult subsequent to his military days. RTV Drenthe further reported that the whole family, including Josef B., belonged to the Unification Church, its members being nicknamed the “Moonies.”
Moonies
The Unification Church, which is now known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, “was deeply alarmed to hear of the family being held in inhumane conditions on a farmhouse in the Netherlands," according to a statement emailed to Rolling Stone.
Mass Marriages
The institution's statement divulged that Gerrit “is known to have suffered from mental health issues and left our organization in 1987." The church, which is known for its mass marriage ceremonies, insists that it "champions three ideals: family, peace, and unification."
Free At Last
"The situation discovered requires a careful approach, which is to include the provision of attention to and care of the young adults discovered. Various experts have been engaged. Accommodation has been provided for the six persons involved in a safe place," police relayed.
Picking Up The Pieces
Though the young adult siblings are thankfully safe and sound now, it doesn't relieve the trauma of their decade of forced isolation. Sadly, captive situations often stay under the radar for far too long, and the victims are left to pick up the pieces of their lives. Sometimes, they don't even know they're victims at first.
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