Dutch Family Found Locked Away in Farmhouse

A typical Dutch farmhouse in the province of Drenthe (Wikimedia Commons)

A Dutch family was found locked in a secret farmhouse room on October 16. Five adult siblings, each between 18-25 years old, and an older man they claim is their father, were discovered in a locked room in the secluded farmhouse near the town of Ruinerwold in the province of Drenthe.

The suspect, an Austrian man who lived nearby, must appear before a judge on October 17, according to prosecutors. He is being held on charges of unlawful detention and harming others’ health. 

According to Roger de Groot, the mayor of Ruinerwold, Police are still trying to ascertain exactly what occurred. A spokeswoman reported that “a lot is still unclear and we are investigating exactly what happened there.” Police said that the family may have been locked in the farmhouse for nine years.

Local residents expressed considerable surprise that six people lived inside the house for so long without anyone noticing the family or informing the police. Neighbor Van Dijk said that she and her husband had often seen a man working on the property, but he never engaged with them or anyone else. She said when her husband asked him how his reservations were going, the man simply yelled “no” and drove away in his vehicle.

The family resided within small makeshift rooms in the house and lived, at least partially, off vegetables and animals from the farms, according to local TV station RTV Drenthe.

Some reports theorize that the family was locked up due to their belief in an impending apocalypse, but the police have not addressed these reports.