Kriti Mehrotra
The two 1970s abductions of Jan Broberg at the ages of 12 and 14 by none other than her trusted neighbor Robert “Bob” Berchtold is a case that can honestly only be described as atrocious. So it comes as no surprise it has been charted in a Netflix documentary titled ‘Abducted in Plain Sight’ as well as Peacock’s drama ‘A Friend of the Family’ to really get to the heart of the matter. Yet for now, if you simply wish to learn more about the accused’s own family — with a specific focus on not just his wife but also their five children – we’ve got all the necessary details for you.
Who is Robert Berchtold’s Family?
Although Robert (or B) was born on February 7, 1936, around Tremonton, Utah, he primarily grew up across the Mountain West region alongside several siblings, his mother, and his stepfather. He thus completed most of his education locally before serving a Swiss-Austrian Latter-day Saints mission and then ultimately got stationed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, upon joining the Army. So it was reportedly while he was an active official that he tied the knot with Gail Toyn on June 7, 1961, just to soon move on, move around, and gradually welcome five children into their lives.
In ‘A Friend of the Family,’ the Berchtold’s had three boys plus a girl — Jasper, Joel, Jacob, and Jenny — but in real life, they had four boys as well as a girl: Jerry, James, Joseph, Jeff, and Jill. Their home energy was quite ordinary for a few years, as per reports, yet everything changed shortly after Robert kidnapped Jan Broberg for the first time in October 1974 since Gail left him for good. “By [my] second kidnapping [in August 1976], she had filed for a divorce,” Jan exclusively told ‘Entertainment Tonight‘ back in March 2019. “She divorced him and took her kids and moved.”
Robert Berchtold’s Family is Leading a Quiet Life Today
From what we can tell, while Robert’s remarriage to Deanna Lou Wiley (July 17, 1990) lasted until his demise in 2005, Gail lost her second husband (of 27 years), James Leslie Wadman, in 2015. The latter is hence leading a quiet life well away from the spotlight in Roy, Utah, these days, where it appears as if she’s trying to move on and forget the past pains to the best of her abilities. As for the Berchtold children, they are obviously all grown adults now, with a majority of them having stable, happy families of their own — but like their mother, they’ve preferred to remain private.
Therefore, while we know Jerry Curtis Berchtold, his life partner Tina, and their brood currently reside close to Gail in Roy, Utah, James Ersol Berchtold’s last known base is seemingly Las Vegas, Nevada. On the other hand, Joseph Ersol Berchtold calls the wondrous Salt Lake City in Utah his home alongside his wife Shawna at the moment, whereas Jeff Archie Berchtold has purportedly settled down in Ogden, Utah.
Last but not least, from what we can tell, Jill Berchtold now goes by Jill Scott and lives in Roy, Utah as well, where she’s surrounded by not just her birth family yet also her husband Richard Scott, their kids, and their grandkids. Her social media platforms further indicate she is a proud breast cancer survivor and is thus dedicated to spending as much time with her loved ones as possible.
Read More: How Did Robert Berchtold’s Brother Joe Berchtold Die?
