Peacock’s “A Friend of the Family,” a limited drama series that looks back at two kidnappings of Jan Broberg when she was 12 and 14 in the 1970s, can only be called horrifyingly spine-chilling.
That’s because, as explored in Netflix’s “Abducted in Plain Sight,” a close friend was actually in charge of not only capturing her but also carefully grooming her and brainwashing her. But for now, if you just want to know more about the accused’s then-spouse, Robert “Bob” Berchtold’s wife Gail Toyn Berchtold, we have all the important information for you.
What’s Gail Berchtold’s name?
On June 7, 1961, Gail got married in a beautiful ceremony at the Latter-day Saints (LDS) Logan Temple in Utah to Robert (or B), who was working for the Army at the time. At the time, he was stationed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. However, they soon decided to start a new chapter in their lives by moving, so they lived in a few different places. These places were Brigham City, Utah, Pocatello, Idaho, and Ogden, Utah. During this time, they were proud to welcome Jerry, James, Joseph, Jeff, and Jill into their lives.
But Idaho was not at all good for the Berchtolds, especially since it was there that Robert became obsessed with Jan Broberg when she was still a child. He then kidnapped her in 1974 and 1976. Gail also told the parents of the missing children not to call the police in the first few days after they went missing in October, but no one has ever been able to figure out why. So, some people say she knew what her husband was doing because she allegedly helped him get the Brobergs to lower their charges, while others say she didn’t know anything.
Part of the reason for this is that Gail packed her bags, took their kids, and left Robert for good before the second time he ran away with the 14-year-old in August 1976. This shows that she didn’t have anything to do with it. She had already filed for divorce at that point, and she hasn’t talked about it online, in interviews, or as a consultant in documentaries or other shows since then. So, it’s likely that not everything we see on screen about Gail is 100% true. Actress Lio Tipton, who plays Gail on “A Friend of the Family,” has also made this very clear.
“It’s unclear how much Gail knows,” Lio recently told The Cut in an exclusive interview. “I met with a lot of people… [on] how to approach a scene, like, should I have a hint of “I’m doing this too” to sweep things under the rug, or is Gail really clueless about what’s going on? Gail turned out to be easier to understand than I had thought. I thought about how hard Gail is trying to keep her family safe and together in every scene I wrote. All she cared about was whether or not her family would be okay. How can I make things better? She probably never wanted to hurt anyone else.”
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What happened to Gail Berchtold?
From what we can tell about Gail’s current situation from online records and social media profiles, the family woman is from Grouse Creek, Utah, but is now living in Roy, Utah. She remarried in the late 1980s, but on April 5, 2015, her second husband, James Leslie Wadman, died after a long battle with bladder cancer. He was 70, and they had been married for more than 27 years. So, even though Gail is in her 70s now, it seems like she is still living a quiet, happy life with her children close by.
A Friend of the Family by Peacock came out on Netflix in early October, but only the first four episodes of the true crime drama were available. Viewers want to know what happened to Robert Berchtold and his wife, Gail, after their kids were taken. Robert “B” Berchtold sexually abused Jan Broberg and took her away when she was 12 and again when she was 14. Berchtold’s wife, Gail, stays by his side in the first few episodes of the Peacock drama. But then what happened? Here’s what we know about Gail Berchtold, Robert Berchtold’s wife.
Robert Berchtold got married to Gail in 1961
Gail Toyn married Robert Berchtold, who was played by Jake Lacy, in the Logan Temple on June 7, 1961. They lived together in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brigham City, Harper, and Ogden, Utah, among other places. But the Berchtold family met the Brobergs in the town of Pocatello, Idaho.
In A Friend of the Family, Mary Ann Broberg tells her husband, Bob Broberg, “They have three boys: one is Jan’s age, one is Karen’s age, and one is Susan’s age. They also have a baby girl.”
In the series, the Berchtolds had three boys, Jasper, Joel, and Jacob, who were all about the same age as Jan, Susan, and Karen, the Brobergs’ three girls. When they met, the Berchtold family also had a little girl. In real life, the Berchtolds had five children whose names all started with the letter “J.” In A Friend of the Family on Peacock, however, their names were changed.
In an interview with Jan Broberg about the documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, she said that Gail and Robert got a divorce soon after the kidnapping.
Jan told Entertainment Tonight, “By the time she was taken again, she had filed for a divorce.” “She got a divorce from him and moved with her kids.”
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Jan also said that after they split up, she never talked to Gail again
“There has been no word in many, many years, and can you imagine how terrible it would be to find out that this was your dad?” Jan added. “It’s not easy, and I feel bad for all of them.”
Gail, Robert Berchtold’s ex-wife, has a new husband, but no one knows her new name.
Many people wonder if Gail Berchtold knew what her husband did to Jan Broberg after seeing Abducted in Plain Sight and A Friend of the Family. Many fans of documentaries went to Reddit to talk about whether or not Gail could be involved. Some people talk badly about Berchtold’s ex-wife, which is reason enough for her to keep to herself.
In one thread on Reddit, a video editor said that they had worked on Abducted in Plain Sight. The person said that Gail was asked to do an interview, but she turned them down.
Another Reddit user says that Gail got married again, but she is now a widow. All of her kids live in the middle of the country. But she doesn’t want to talk about where she is or what she’s doing after Robert Berchtold, so no one knows where she is or what she’s doing.
The first four episodes of A Friend of the Family will air on Peacock on Thursday, October 6. Every Thursday until November 10, the last five episodes will be released.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to talk to a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
On October 17, 1974, Robert Berchtold picked up his young neighbor Jan Broberg from her piano lessons in Pocatello, Idaho, so he could, he said, take her horseback riding. In reality, Berchtold gave the 12-year-old drugs and set up the scene to make it look like the two of them were taken away against their will.
Then Berchtold ran away with Jan to Mexico, where he married her. He asked Jan’s parents for permission to come back to the U.S. and get married legally there.
Even though Bob and Mary Ann Broberg didn’t want him to, Berchtold went back home with Jan, and things went back to normal without any charges being brought. After that, Berchtold kept his hold on their lives by getting both of the Brobergs involved in a sexual relationship. Two years later, he took their daughter again.
This is the story of Robert Berchtold, the predator at the center of Netflix’s Abducted in Plain Sight who groomed and controlled an entire family.
How Robert Berchtold made the Brobergs who they are
When the Brobergs and Berchtolds met at church, it seemed like they were meant to be together. The kids played together, and the parents liked being around each other.
In the documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, Jan Broberg said, “Everyone had a best friend.”
Over time, the Broberg children started calling Robert Berchtold “B,” and Jan began to think of him as a second father. B also cared a lot about Jan, who was 12 years old. He often gave her gifts and took her on trips.
Jan Broberg, who is now an adult, says of Berchtold that he was “a master manipulator.” At the time, no one in her family could see it, but Robert Berchtold had been setting up the family from the first time they met.
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