'Abducted in Plain Sight' - Grooming Behaviors
Author: Meg Fansler
Earlier this year, America was captivated by the Netflix release of the documentary, Abducted in Plain Sight. The documentary chronicles the 1970s story of Jan Broberg, a 12-year-old girl kidnapped by her neighbor twice! A critical factor that allowed for the two-time kidnapping was the grooming tactics used by the offender. Grooming is a process by which offenders gradually draw victims into a sexual relationship and maintain that relationship in secrecy. In the documentary, the legal professionals who worked on the case and consulted on the documentary explain that child predators will destroy anything or any person in the path between themselves and their intended victim. The offender must create a trusting bond with the child and their family to be given access to the child. To do this, an offender utilizes grooming behaviors towards the child, their family, and others close to the victim. These behaviors lead to manipulating the child and their loved ones to gain and maintain trust, so the offender can do what they please with the child. Grooming is carefully planned and can take weeks, months, or even years. Sadly, grooming is highly successful.
In the documentary, the offender, Mr. Berchtold, or B, as he was known to Jan, was an active and well-liked member of the church and community in their small town in Idaho. His helpful and innocent façade allowed him to gain the public's trust and stay under the radar. As the Brobergs’ neighbor, B often sent fruit baskets to their home, offered to drive Jan and her siblings to events, and flatter Jan’s parents. These small favors began positively impacting the Broberg parents’ opinions of B, leading to sexual relationships between B and Mr. and Mrs. Broberg. An interview with retired FBI Agent Peter Welsh revealed that these sexual relationships were unknown to him while he worked the case. He found out these details only through watching the documentary.
Eventually, special undivided attention began to be placed on Jan. B took Jan on special outings alone and even persuaded Jan and her parents that she needed a separate basement bedroom built for her. B assisted in the construction of this bedroom. With the Brobergs’ trust, B was allowed to sleep in Jan’s bedroom, which led to her molestation. The first kidnapping followed when B convinced Jan she was to have a child with him at the instruction of an alien planet. Jan was threatened with her family’s well-being and ordered not to disclose details of this mission. Even after being rescued, the Brobergs demonstrated trust in B, allowing Jan to continue a romantic relationship with him and flying her out to where he relocated. This second kidnapping occurred when B enrolled her in a boarding school where she could remain isolated from her family and be kept safe when B returned. Today, Jan has written a book with her mother, detailing the two kidnappings and publicly speaking out about her ordeal. In 2005, B committed suicide, overdosing on medication and officially removing the reminder that connected Jan to the experience.
While the story portrayed in this documentary occurred before the explosion of the internet, now, in this digital era, the list of grooming behaviors and victims these actions target have expanded, no longer requiring an offender to know the child or physically be near them. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has focused research efforts on grooming behaviors in the online world. They list common red flags parents and children should be wary of in online interactions on their website. These flags include when the other party participates in sexual conversation or role-play of sexual scenarios, asks for and/or exchanges sexually explicit photos, attempts to establish a friendship with the child through a conversation of common interests or compliments, encourages a child to keep secrets from family members and friends, convinces the child that they are in a loving relationship as boyfriend or girlfriend, portrays a younger individual, or offers incentives, such as food, drugs, or transportation.
In addition to the red flags parents and children should be aware of, it is also crucial to understand the behaviors the child may be participating in that increase their risk for targeting. Children may be putting themselves at risk if they input inaccurate birthdate information to access chatrooms and other sites adults use, begin conversations with adults—potentially child sex offenders—and make deals to exchange sexually explicit content for items like drugs, gifts, or money, or send sexually explicit content of themselves to the others. Understanding sexual grooming and common sexual grooming behaviors can help prevent sexual abuse.
Agencies like NCMEC play a vital role in how society identifies grooming behaviors and supports victims of grooming behaviors. Resources and research are educating the public on signs to look out for. NCMEC has a tip line for Internet users and service providers to report child sexual exploitation and grooming behaviors that may lead to such exploitation. They have also developed educational programs for children on safe and proper online behaviors. For those who have become victims of such behavior, support services are also available to victims and their families. With documentaries like Abducted in Plain Sight, and the research and initiatives being done regarding child sexual exploitation by the legal system and related organizations, progress is certainly being made in identifying grooming behaviors. Hopefully, reductions in child sexual exploitation will follow.
Ashleigh Diserio Consulting works with individuals and organizations, assisting them in gleaning insight into a person’s life, motivation, and past and future behavior, so certain areas of behavior can be understood with a high degree of accuracy. We provide services in the areas of criminal and intelligence investigations, management support, threat assessment, insider threat support, and education and training.