Dutch police free 7 people locked up in a farm basement for years

[Tender Branson]

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Six young adults and their father were receiving medical treatment on Tuesday after Dutch police acting on a tip-off discovered them locked away in a secret room at an isolated farm, officials in the Netherlands said on Tuesday.

The six, aged 18 to 25, and their ailing father were found near Ruinerwold, a 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.

De Groot said a 58-year-old man, not the father of the children, was arrested at the farm. His role was unclear.

“As far as I know their mother died before they arrived there,” he said. “Police found makeshift living quarters where the family was living in hiding.”

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.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-netherlands-family/dutch-police-discover-family-locked-away-for-years-on-farm-idUSKBN1WU1UE

[Tender Branson]

The older man sometimes appeared outside. Neighbours called him „The Austrian“ (but it is unclear if he’s really from here, or if it’s just a nickname).

[Tender Branson]

Apparently, the younger kids in the basement had „no idea that other people even existed“.

The man had a stroke several years ago and their mother was probably buried on the grounds of the farm.

Bizarre story ...

[Tender Branson]

The older man sometimes appeared outside. Neighbours called him „The Austrian“ (but it is unclear if he’s really from here, or if it’s just a nickname).

The Austrian Foreign Ministry has confirmed the identity of the basement dweller.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

You must feel very proud of your countryman's success abroad, Tender.

[Tender Branson]

You must feel very proud of your countryman's success abroad, Tender.

No, instead I’m asking myself:

„Might there be just 9 million Austrians out there - as the official statistics show - or could we be as much as 50 million, once every basement gets inspected ?“

[Tender Branson]

More details of the story are out now:

The 58-year old Austrian (who rented the farm) was only the caretaker for this cultist family waiting for the end of the world.

He provided the family in the basement with fruits and vegetables and also had goats in the garden.

In the town, he was known as a craftsman, helping other people with furniture and all neighbors thought he lived there alone. Even the owner of the property thought so, who always received the rent payments from the Austrian in time.

To me, it seems the doomsday family cult asked the Austrian to provide for them and he agreed.

The interesting thing is also that the 6 children and their sick father in the basement could live there without going unnoticed.

Several of the younger kids were not in the population register at all ! Older ones were in the population register but the schools didn’t notice they were missing !

https://www.bild.de/news/ausland/news-ausland/holland-familie-lebte-jahrelang-isoliert-im-keller-bild-sprach-mit-dem-mann-der-65373174.bild.html

[Santander]

Many Atlas posters have been locked in the basement a lot longer than 7 years. (minus breaks for meatloaf and Mountain Dew)

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

You must feel very proud of your countryman's success abroad, Tender.

No, instead I’m asking myself:

„Might there be just 9 million Austrians out there - as the official statistics show - or could we be as much as 50 million, once every basement gets inspected ?“

Oh God, the Austrians are real-life Crab People, waiting to emerge one day and take over the world.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Many Atlas posters have been locked in the basement a lot longer than 7 years. (minus breaks for meatloaf and Mountain Dew)

Given how this forum skews, make that tofuloaf instead of meatloaf.

[Tender Branson]

Both the Austrian and the Dutch father (who had a stroke a few years ago) were arrested today.

Both belong to a Christian fundamentalist doomsday sect since the 1990s and already knew each other since then.