Here’s How ‘A Friend of the Family’ Is Connected to ‘Abducted in Plain Sight’

There’s no part of Peacock‘s A Friend of the Family that isn’t horrifying. The miniseries dramatizes the story of Jan Broberg, a women who was kidnapped twice in her life at the ages of 12 and 14. That in and of itself sets the stage for an absolute nightmare. What’s worse is that Broberg’s kidnappings were conducted by the same man: her family’s friend, Robert Berchtold.

If this story sounds familiar, that’s likely because you’ve heard it before. Not only is A Friend of the Family disturbingly based on true events, but it’s also been the subject of an incredibly popular Netflix documentary.

Is A Friend of the Family Based on a True Story?

It is, and the Peacock original wants to make sure that viewers understand that. The miniseries actually begins with a message from the real Jan Broberg. “I want to tell my family’s story today because so many seem to think that something like this could never happen to them, especially at the hands of someone they know and trust,” the real Jan says in the first episode. “But it did happen. It happened to my family. It happened to me.”

The Broberg family first met Robert Berchtold and his family in 1972 through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The two families quickly became friends. Robert and his wife Gail would spend time with Robert “Bob” and Mary Ann Broberg as their children had sleepovers together. But it wasn’t long before Berchtold’s relationship became more intimate and sinister.

The families met in the summer. By the fall, Berchtold had started a flirtatious relationship with Mary Ann. He also complained to Bob about his marital problems and convinced the other man to perform a sexual act on him. The fact that Berchtold was intimate with both Broberg parents without either of them knowing became crucial to what followed.

Berchtold had always paid special attention to the Broberg’s eldest daughter, Jan. After the families had been friends for years, he made his move in 1974. With Mary Ann’s permission, he picked up Jan after her piano lessons under the guise that he was taking her horseback riding. Instead, he drugged her, took her to an unknown location in his motorhome, and convinced the 12-year-old girl that she was actually part alien and that she needed to have a baby with Berchtold before her 16th birthday. It wasn’t until days later that the Brobergs alerted authorities to what happened. During the nationwide search that followed, Berchtold and Jan were eventually found in Mexico where he requested he would return Jan only if her parents gave their permission for Jan to marry him. That request was ignored. But Berchtold used the affairs he had with both of the Broberg parents to blackmail them into dropping their case against him.

This should have been the end of this story, and yet somehow Berchtold was able to intertwine himself with this family a second time. In the spring of 1975, he started a full-on affair with Mary Ann. As this was happening, Jan insisted that she still wanted to marry Berchtold. In the summer of 1976, she spent two weeks with him in Wyoming — a visit that was approved by Mary Ann. That fall, Berchtold abducted Jan once again and enrolled her in a California school. For several months, Berchtold pretended not to know where Jan was and even called her parents during this time, asking for updates about the case.

By tapping the Brobergs’ phone, the FBI was able to track down Berchtold a second time. Ultimately, he only spent 10 days in jail for his crimes.

How Is A Friend of the Family Connected to Abducted in Plain Sight?

While A Friend of the Family is a dramatic miniseries about the Jan Broberg case, Abducted in Plain Sight is a documentary about it. Jan Broberg and her family appeared in the film to tell their story. Directed by Skye Borgman, Abducted in Plain Sight was first released in 2017. However, it didn’t become well known until it landed on Netflix in 2019.

Where Can I Watch Abducted in Plain Sight?

The documentary is still on Netflix as well as kanopy and PlutoTV. It’s also available for digital purchase on iTunes and Amazon.