Ruinerwold secluded family

In October 2019, 67-year-old Gerrit-Jan van Dorsten and his six adult children were discovered in Ruinerwold, a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe, where they had lived in seclusion for over ten years, since March 2009, in a farmhouse.[1] Only the 58-year-old man who had rented the house had been seen around the village.[2][3][4]

Seclusion and discovery

The adult children were thought to be aged 18 to 25. The family was found after the oldest child Israel, who has also called himself Jan, 25, left the house and spoke to local people in Ruinerwold.[5][6][7] He had already become active on social media for a few months.[8] His pictures show that he sometimes left the house after dark to go to the village.[8] One of the children stated that they had never been to school.[9] None of the six adult children were in official records of births and citizens.[10]

The 67-year-old man had four more children, a total of ten children as of 2019. His eldest son was never a part of the same cult, and the three eldest children, of the nine he had with his second wife, fled the family home in 2011. Only the six youngest children remained in seclusion until 2019.[11] The 67-year-old man had extensive Facebook pages and his own website, but did not mention his children.[12] He had previously been a member of the Unification Church cult in the 1980s.[13] He apparently believed that the outside world was "unclean".[14] He seemed to be trying to create an ecological utopia.[15][13]

According to a court judgment in 2021, the father suffered a stroke in 2016, rendering him incapable of coherent communication.[16]

Aftermath

On 17 October 2019, the father appeared at court having been arrested and charged with unlawful deprivation of liberty, harming other people's health, and money laundering.[4] In 2021, his prosecution was terminated because of his medical condition.[16][17]

The 58-year-old man who rented the house and was often seen around but slept elsewhere was also arrested, initially for obstructing the police investigation and later on suspicion of complicity. They were not allowed any contact with the adult children, to avoid influencing them as witnesses and possible victims.[18] In 2020, the 58-year-old man was convicted of unlawful deprivation of liberty and sentenced to three years in prison.[19]

A few years later a Dutch documentary was made about this case named De kinderen van Ruinerwold (The children of Ruinerwold).[20] It was awarded with the Televizier-ring, a Dutch TV-award.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dutch farm mystery: Children split over charges against father". 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  2. ^ Henley, Jon (2019-10-15). "Six freed after years living in Dutch cellar 'waiting for end of time'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  3. ^ "Family 'waiting for end of time' found in basement". BBC News. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  4. ^ a b Miller, Barbara (18 October 2019). "Father in Dutch 'end of time' family charged for abuse and money laundering as police interview his adult children". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. [...] the family was found in a small room, which police say was not a cellar, as initially reported, but could be locked.
  5. ^ "Son escapes, rescues 5 siblings trapped for 9 years by "end of times" father". NL Times. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  6. ^ Remie, Mirjam; van Loon, Marissa; Kos, Jelmer; Koenis, Chris (15 October 2019). "Politie haalt vader en vijf kinderen uit afgesloten ruimte in Drenthe". NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  7. ^ "De kinderen van Ruinerwold gemist? Start met kijken op NPO Start".
  8. ^ a b Burke, Kelly (17 October 2019). "PICTURED: Son who was 'held captive' in Dutch farm house for nine years". 7news.com.au. Archived from the original on 2019-10-19. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Vader en vijf kinderen schuilen jaren in kelder in Drenthe, 'wachtend op einde der tijden'". www.ad.nl (in Dutch). 15 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  10. ^ "Politie over gezin Drenthe: 'Kinderen nooit ingeschreven'". www.nu.nl (in Dutch). 18 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  11. ^ Wassens, Rik (17 October 2019). "Familie: drie kinderen ontvluchtten eerder het gezin in Ruinerwold, vader opgepakt". NRC.
  12. ^ "Vader Ruinerwold schreef online eigen evangelie, maar bereikte er vrijwel niemand mee". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 2019-10-21. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  13. ^ a b "Inside the remote Dutch farm of Doomsday family kept captive for nine years". NewsComAu. November 1, 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  14. ^ "Man beat children at Dutch farm to drive out bad spirits, court hears". The Guardian. 2020-01-21. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  15. ^ "Eind der tijden? Onzin, Gerrit Jan wilde ecologisch Utopia". Telegraaf. October 21, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Uitspraak over vervolging hoofdverdachte Ruinerwold-zaak". www.rechtspraak.nl (in Dutch). 4 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  17. ^ "Dutch farm case: Prosecutors drop abuse charges against 'too ill' father". BBC News. 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  18. ^ "Vader Ruinerwold mag geen contact met kinderen: 'Zij zijn cruciaal in het onderzoek'". RTL Nieuws. October 21, 2019. (in Dutch)
  19. ^ "Dutch court sentences Austrian man for helping detain six children". The Guardian. 2022-06-14. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  20. ^ a b Sanou, Hanneke (2021-10-15). "Documentary about children kept on isolated farmhouse wins tv award". DutchNews.nl. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
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