The Hidden Third – Episode Summary

"Chosen by Aliens: The Kidnapping of Jan Broberg"

Host: Mariana van Zeller
Guest: Jan Broberg
Date: April 8, 2026
Duration (content): Approx. 2 hrs

Episode Overview

In this gripping, emotional, and unflinching episode, Mariana van Zeller interviews Jan Broberg, a survivor of one of the most bizarre and disturbing child abduction cases in American history. At 12, Jan was kidnapped by a trusted family friend, Robert Berchtold, who convinced her—through years of grooming and psychological manipulation—that she’d been chosen by aliens for a secret mission to save a dying extraterrestrial race by having his child. Groomed, abused, and repeatedly failed by the justice system, Jan rebuilt her life, becoming an advocate for other survivors. She now leads the Jan Broberg Foundation, working to expose predator tactics and protect children. The episode blends harrowing firsthand recounting with a hopeful focus on education, prevention, and understanding the realities of grooming and abuse.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jan’s Innocent Upbringing and Entry of the Predator

• Idyllic Childhood: Jan grew up in a tightly knit, loving Mormon community in Idaho. Her family had long-standing community ties and lived what she described as a “naive, not stupid” simple life where trust was implicit.
  • “My childhood was wonderful. I had loving parents… We all felt so safe. We knew so many of our neighbors and friends…” (03:55)
• Berchtold’s Entry and Family Grooming: Robert Berchtold (“B”), along with his wife and kids, joined their church, quickly ingratiating himself with Jan’s family.
  • "From that point on, he was basically grooming the whole family. But it just looked like being nice, you know." (03:19)
• Grooming Tactics: He systematically built trust with every family member, integrating himself so fully that his presence became routine.
  • "He built individual relationships with every member of my family." (06:09)

2. The Slow Burn of Grooming

• Grooming as a Structured Process: Jan details what she’s since learned as the "six stages of grooming," perpetrated with chilling patience over years.
  • “You pick your target. Then you build trust. And then...you start to divide and conquer. You build the trust with each of the family members separately…” (05:35, 06:18)
• Predator Profile: Berchtold targeted children fitting a specific “profile,” and Jan later learned she was not his only victim.
  • “I know there were at least two before me and I know there were at least five after me…” (07:09)

3. The Kidnappings and Alien “Mission” Narrative

First Kidnapping — The Abduction and Brainwashing

• Drugged and Taken: Berchtold drugged Jan under the pretense of a horseback riding trip, faking a car accident and then transporting her in a motorhome fitted with restraints.
  • “I don’t remember how he crashed the car...he smashed it from the inside out." (16:59)
• "Alien" Manipulation: Jan wakes to a high-pitched, monotone alien voice from a custom box, telling her she’s been chosen for a mission as the “female companion.”
  • “What woke me up was the sound of this high-pitched monotone voice calling me, ‘Female companion, it is time for your mission to begin.’ That’s exactly the first words…seared in my memory.” (19:03)
• Integration with Family and Religious Beliefs: The narrative tapped into Jan’s religious upbringing, referencing Mary, Joseph, and the idea that she was “special”—classic grooming manipulation.
  • “As good brainwashing goes, you take something that is so familiar to a child and you just change one little degree. And that’s what he did.” (29:07)
  • “He’d say, your mother was overshadowed by a godlike being from our planet, you’re going to have a child who will save our dying planet…” (29:21–29:52)
• Rape and Daily Assault: The abuse began only after crossing into Mexico, after Jan had been fully cut off from her family.
  • “Really, he didn’t start any of the sexual assault and abuse until we were in Mexico…” (32:06)
• Extended Control: Even after rescue (after 46 days), Berchtold maintained emotional and psychological power via threats and the ongoing alien mythology.

Second Kidnapping — Continued Manipulation & Systemic Failure

• Continued Psychological Control: Despite being home, Jan remained convinced of the alien mission and followed Berchtold’s rules out of terror for her family.
  • “I still hadn’t had the child, I knew all the threats: Karen will go blind… Dad will be dead… Susan will be taken… I’m so far gone.” (80:02)
• Second Abduction & Boarding School: Berchtold employed a fake runaway letter, abducted Jan again, and installed her at a boarding school in California under false identities.
  • “He had me dress up...He had his son’s birth certificate, and he had me dress up like a boy… I acted the part.” (41:36)
  • “He said he was a CIA agent… That we needed to protect Jan.” (73:42)
• Private Investigator and Parental Determination: Jan’s parents, now far more suspicious and active, worked with the FBI and private PIs to finally track her down and recover her.

4. Impact on Family and Community: Betrayal and Blame

• Social Backlash: The Brobergs, especially Jan’s father, faced blame and shunning in their community due to Berchtold’s charisma and manipulations.
  • “There was a lot of misunderstanding and a lot of blaming… Victim shaming, too.” (27:29)
• Parental Guilt and Marital Strain: Intense emotional and marital fallout ensued, with near-divorce and lasting impacts.
  • “My dad was the first to pull away… He started to say, ‘We spend too much time with this family.’” (11:17+)
  • “I told my mom and dad, and they were like, okay, when you’re ready, we’re here. We love you. It doesn’t matter. And that’s how it started, my recovery…” (103:13)
• Berchtold’s Grooming of Parents: Berchtold even sexually manipulated both of Jan’s parents as part of “divide and conquer” tactics.
  • “He manipulated my dad into, you know, masturbating with him… He did the same with my mom.” (53:36, 56:09)

5. Systemic Failures

• Law Enforcement and Community Failure: Despite evidence, Berchtold served only 15 days in jail for the first kidnapping and continued to have access to Jan and her family, highlighting gaps in the 1970s justice system and societal naivete.
  • “He did 15 days. And because they counted all the time that he was in Mexico as part of it… And he ended up in jail for 15 days.” (58:49)
• Courtroom Trauma: Jan recounts being forced to testify in Berchtold’s presence as a child.
  • “I’m in the courtroom looking at Birchtold. And he’s giving me the eye, you know: ‘Don’t tell anybody anything. The aliens are here.’” (59:05)

6. Revelation, Recovery, and Advocacy

• Breaking Free: At age 16, after a series of small revelations (“the ice cream miracle”), Jan finally begins to doubt the alien story, which initiates her healing process.
  • “It was the first time in almost four years that I had even one ounce of doubt, a question… I call it the ice cream miracle of the boy buying me the ice cream. And nothing happened.” (90:54–91:14)
• Telling Her Family: Jan finally confides in her family, who respond with unconditional support—a key in her recovery.
  • “I just told them… not everything… And that’s how my recovery started—telling them and having them believe me. That’s so important. You have to believe survivors first.” (103:13)
• Foundation and Education: Jan builds the Jan Broberg Foundation, focusing on public education, grooming prevention (“Spot 6”), trauma recovery, community for survivors, and advocacy for legal reform.
  • “We have a program called Spot 6 to spot the six stages of grooming... trying to help people recover from trauma, any, any kind of childhood trauma… a 12 phase program… an online community as well.” (105:08, 105:58)

7. The Reality and Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse

• Shocking Statistics: Mariana and Jan highlight that abuse is not rare—93% of groomers know their victim; 34–70% are family members.
  • “93% of groomers know their victim… And there's also a statistic… out of the 34%... over 70% are the father.” (106:19, 106:39)
• Prevention Requires Adult Responsibility: Focus must shift from teaching children to arming adults—parents, teachers, social workers—to recognize and stop grooming.
  • “Who you really need to teach are the adults… to notice and to see the signs and to not be afraid.” (109:03)
• The Cycle of Abuse: While most survivors do not become perpetrators, most perpetrators were themselves abused—breaking the cycle requires both healing and prevention.
  • “Most survivors don’t become predators. But most predators were abused…” (107:39)

8. Shame, Secrecy, and Breaking the Silence

• The Cost of Secrecy: Jan and Mariana repeatedly emphasize that shame, silence, and disbelief perpetuate the cycle of abuse, and sharing stories breaks predators' power.
  • “Anything you hold in secret is exactly what the predator wants… as soon as you are no longer in secret and you’re out in the light, the predator is going to be able to be stopped.” (117:56 – 118:27)
• Family’s Radical Honesty: The Brobergs’ willingness to publicly share every detail in their book and later documentaries helped countless others break their silence.
  • “We realized that by sharing [our story], not being afraid, we would be able to help other people.” (117:33)

9. Berchtold’s Final Act and Legacy

• Harassment Until the End: Years later, Berchtold continued stalking and threatening Jan after the story went public, culminating in his suicide when finally facing substantial legal consequences.
  • “He was found guilty on all the charges… At the border where the tradeoff was supposed to happen, he took his truck… and just took a bottle of pills…” (123:14 – 124:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the moment of brainwashing

“People ask me all the time, well, how long did it take for him to brainwash you? I said, well, two and a half years to groom me and ten seconds to brainwash you.”
— Jan Broberg (21:27)

On parental innocence

“We are naïve to something being amiss… Now I go and teach people, ‘Here’s the six stages of grooming.’ That’s one of our educational components.”
— Jan Broberg (07:46 – 08:43)

On revealing the abuse

“I just told them not everything…I just…told them…And that’s how it started, my recovery—telling them and having them believe me. That’s so important. You have to believe survivors first.”
— Jan Broberg (103:13)

On the lasting trauma

“Into my 20s, I would check my back seat. I’d look under my car…I was always in this state of, you know, looking over my shoulder. Yeah, sure. Even though I knew it wasn't real eventually.”
— Jan Broberg (22:21)

On the importance of breaking the silence

“The secrecy and the shame really just perpetuate the crime… as soon as you are no longer in secret and you’re out in the light… then the predator is going to be able to be stopped. Perhaps, hopefully, will be stopped.”
— Jan Broberg (117:56 – 118:27)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:52 | Introduction to Jan and summary of her story | | 02:37 | How Robert Berchtold entered and groomed the family | | 10:49 | Preparations and premeditation of the first kidnapping | | 19:03 | Jan’s awakening to the alien voice and “mission” | | 29:21 | Religious manipulation and psychological “mission” | | 32:06 | Crossing into Mexico, the onset of direct abuse | | 41:36 | Disguises and travel during the kidnapping | | 53:36 | Berchtold’s grooming of Jan’s parents | | 58:49 | Berchtold’s sentence: 15 days jail | | 80:02 | The second kidnapping and effects of ongoing manipulation | | 90:54 | Jan’s realization at age 16, “the ice cream miracle” | | 103:13 | Jan telling her family the truth, start of recovery | | 105:08 | Foundation work: Spot 6, trauma therapy, prevention | | 117:56 | The role of shame and secrecy in perpetuating abuse | | 123:14 | Berchtold’s suicide and legacy |

Resources & Further Information

• Jan Broberg Foundation: janbrobergfoundation.org — Grooming prevention, survivor community, and trauma recovery resources.
• Documentaries/Media:
  • Abducted in Plain Sight (Netflix)
  • A Friend of the Family (Peacock series)
  • The Jan Broberg Story (Book)

Final Reflection

Jan Broberg’s story embodies both the unimaginable vulnerability that comes with trust and innocence, and the unbreakable spirit that can ultimately survive and expose even the worst predators. Mariana and Jan unpack the mechanics of grooming, reveal just how common—and difficult to detect—such abuse is, and shine a light on the vital path to prevention: education, honest conversation, and radical belief in survivors. The episode is not just a harrowing true crime account, but a call to action, reminding adults of their responsibility, and offering hope and guidance to those still struggling with trauma or silence.

For more insights and survivor support resources, visit Jan Broberg Foundation’s website or explore the documentaries featuring her story.