Unsettling detail emerges after family found locked in secret room
An unsettling detail has emerged about a man arrested after a family was found locked away in a secret room on his farm.
Several children, aged 18 to 25, and their ailing father were found near Ruinerwold, a Dutch village in the northern province of Drenthe, local Mayor Roger de Groot said.
They had apparently had no contact with the outside world for nine years.
A 58-year-old man was arrested at the farm while his relationship with the six people remains unclear.
Following the arrest, a resident told local newspaper De Telegraaf the 58-year-old, known as Josef B, was protective of what was inside his home.
“You only had to get close to the yard and he already sent you away. He kept an eye on everything with binoculars,” the resident said.
Another added even while he was out they heard noises coming from the home.
“From a lawn mower for example. So there must be someone else,” they said.
De Groot said it was his understanding the mother of the children “died before they arrived there”.
“Police found makeshift living quarters where the family was living in hiding,” he said.
The family, who according to local news reports had been waiting for the end of time, was discovered after one of the siblings escaped and sought help at a nearby cafe.
The siblings and their father, who was reportedly bedridden after a stroke, have since been collected and are receiving treatment at an undisclosed location, the mayor said.
"I understand there are a lot of questions. We have many too. The police are investigating all possible scenarios," de Groot said.
The siblings had apparently lived in a hidden cellar and survived on vegetables grown in a secluded garden and animals caught nearby, local TV RTV Drenthe reported.
With Reuters
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