Berchtold fled to Mexico, where he kept Jan in a trailer, brainwashing her into believing she needed to father Berchtold’s child in order to stop an alien planet from being destroyed. She was found and returned home, only to be kidnapped again when she was 14 years old.
What did Jan Broberg want changed in the documentary?
The Netflix documentary is a harrowing watch, detailing how both of Jan’s parents allowed Berchtold into their house time and time again.
But Jan takes issue with the phrasing of part of the documentary, directed by Skye Borgman.
In an exclusive interview with ET, Jan said: “That is one part of the documentary that I want to be changed because he did not sleep inside of my bed.
“He laid on the top of my bed just like Mom, Dad, or anybody else when I’m nine, 10, or 11, reading a story, tickling backs, you fall asleep.
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Abducted in Plain Sight: Jan Broberg gave an exclusive interview about the Netflix documentary (Image: Netflix/Getty)
“He had told my parents, ‘I have these tapes I was given by this psychiatrist.
“‘I’m supposed to lay by a child who was the same age as I was when I was abused as a kid.
“‘And then I lay by the child and I listen to these tapes, and it’s supposed to help me overcome the trauma that I went through in my childhood.’
“The door is open, my mom is doing laundry and she walks in the room and puts the clothes away in the drawers and out she goes and he’s laying there listening to these tapes while I’m asleep.”
Reactions to the documentary were strong, with many expressing confusion over how Jan’s parents could be so naive.
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But Jan defended her parents, saying: “I want people to put themselves in my parents’ shoes.
“It was the ’70s. They don’t know what a paedophile is, so there is some naivety there, but my parents weren’t stupid.
“They’re my mom and dad and … I had 12 amazing childhood years before I woke up in the back of that motor home, where we ate dinner together, every night we talked, we were unconditionally loved, we were listened to.”
Jan’s father, Bob, died in November 2018 from bone cancer.
Abducted in Plain Sight: The documentary tells the story of Jan’s abduction as a teen by Berchtold (Image: Netflix)
All of the Broberg family are interviewed in the documentary, including Jan’s sisters Susan Broberg and Karen Campbell.
Abducted In Plain Sight also features reenactments of key moments between the Brobergs and the Berchtolds.
Jan told ET: “Grooming and manipulation are so subtle. We don’t think this kind of thing could happen to us and yet somewhere deep inside, we’ve all been conned or we’ve all had some brush with somebody taking advantage of us to some degree.
“People don’t want to believe that they aren’t seeing something that’s in their own family or in their own congregation or in their own neighbourhood, but that’s because we have a bias.
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Abducted in Plain Sight: The Broberg family were interviewed for the documentary (Image: Netflix)
“The person we trust and love, we’re not going to see the little, subtle warning signs because we don’t want to, first of all. So, that’s really the crux of that story.”
Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct.
If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
Abducted In Plain Sight is available to stream on Netflix.
