Photo credit: ‘Abducted in Plain Sight’ by Trending Topics 2019

When the crime documentary ‘Abducted in Plain Sight’ was released on Netflix, Jan Broberg (the woman at the centre of this seemingly bizarre story of multiple kidnappings, an alien mission and sexual assault while a child) was full of regret and worry. Her parents, Mary Ann and Bob Broberg, were publicly mocked and vilified for what seemed to be their complicity with the abuser Robert Berchtold.

But, a 90-minute crime documentary cannot hope to capture the complexity and nuance of a story that has spanned several decades. This was a story, not just about the violation of a child, but about the manipulation and grooming of a whole family.

The Broberg women sit down with me in order to set the record straight about their beloved parents. Their only motivation in telling this sometimes excruciating story is to have families, churches and communities speak up courageously about the banality of grooming and sexual abuse among our own.

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