PART III AVAILABLE NOW, AD-FREE, ON PATREON!

This week we’re revisiting one of the wildest and most disturbing cases we’ve ever covered: the abductions of Jan Broberg. This re-release is part two of our three-part investigative series exploring the disturbing patterns shared between the stories of Sally Horner, Jan Broberg, and the character known as "Lolita" or "Dolly" in the infamous novel Lolita.

Make sure to check out last week's episode first, TSFU Ep. 187 - KIDNAPPED: Sally Horner & The Real Story Behind Lolita (Part I), where Ash told the story of Sally Horner, the real child whose 1948 kidnapping would later echo inside Nabokov’s controversial novel. In the final installment of this series, we’ll put all three stories side by side and expose the shared blueprint of authority, grooming, isolation, social camouflage, narrative control, and public misunderstanding that links them.

Originally released in 2022, this episode dives into the case made famous by Netflix’s documentary Abducted in Plain Sight. Ash told Cam about how trusted family friend Robert Berchtold groomed not just Jan, but her entire family... before abducting her at ages 12 and 14.The deeper you look, the more unbelievable it gets: secret affairs with both of Jan’s parents, manipulation of an entire community, and a predator who managed to convince nearly everyone around him that he should be trusted. Berchtold had been abusing young girls since he was a child himself, and the adults around him repeatedly enabled it.

TW: For everything mentioned above... this is an upsetting topic that I found very difficult to research, make sure to take care of yourselves 🫶

STUFF TO CHEER YOU UP:

PODS TO KEEP YOU INFORMED:

It Could Happen Here- It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future.
Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay - Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay dissect the biggest topics in Black culture, politics, and sports. Two times per week, they will wade into the most important and timely conversations, frequently inviting guests on the podcast and occasionally debating each other.
Pod Save the World - A weekly podcast that breaks down international news and foreign policy developments, but doesn’t feel like homework.
This F*cking Guy - Erin Ryan and Alyssa Mastromonaco, co-hosts of the podcast Hysteria, do a deep dive into the lives of some of the worst b*tches in the game - and let you know everything there is to know about their horrible, corrupt, and dishonest pasts.
Behind the Bastards - There’s a reason the History Channel has produced hundreds of documentaries about Hitler but only a few about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bad guys (and gals) are eternally fascinating. Behind the Bastards dives in past the Cliffs Notes of the worst humans in history and exposes the bizarre realities of their lives. Listeners will learn about the young adult novels that helped Hitler form his monstrous ideology, the founder of Blackwater’s insane quest to build his own Air Force, the bizarre lives of the sons and daughters of dictators and Saddam Hussein’s side career as a trashy romance novelist.
Gaslit Nation - Gaslit Nation provides a deep dive on the news, skipping outrage to deliver analysis, history, context, and sharp insight on global affairs. Hosted by journalist and filmmaker Andrea Chalupa, an expert on authoritarian states who warned America about Russia and election hacking before the 2016 election.
The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Jon Stewart and The Daily Show News Team cover today's biggest headlines. The “Ears Edition” of The Daily Show features full episodes, extended content, exclusive interviews, and more.

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Audio editing by Lorenzo Alexander and Matt Miller.

TSFU Ep. 187 - KIDNAPPED: Jan Broberg & Abducted in Plain Sight - Part II (Re-Release)