Father and six adult children who lived in a cellar for nine years waiting for the ‘end of times’ are discovered in Dutch farmhouse after one escapes and calls police
- Unidentified man, 25, escaped the farmhouse in Ruinerwold close to Meppel
- He ran into a bar and drank five beers before retelling the story to police
- 58-year-old man who is reported to be the father of the adults is now in custody
- The adults who were locked in the house are between the ages of 16-25
Dutch police have found a father and his six adult children living in the cellar of an isolated farmhouse waiting for the ‘end of times’ after one of them escaped and told authorities.
The man, who identified himself as the eldest son, said that he escaped from the cellar and went into a bar in the nearby village of Ruinerwold.
The owner of the bar, Chris Westerbeek, recalled the 25-year-old came in numerous times over a number of days and looked ‘confused.’
A drone photo of the farm, where a father and six children have been living in the cellar. A 25-year-old man, the oldest child, escaped and went to a bar to get help from the owner. He discussed what had happened and called the police
The property was isolated and hidden by trees surrounding it. When police arrived they found a hidden staircase behind a cupboard in the living room
Westerbeek said that he then returned on Sunday and drank five beers.
‘Then I had a chat with him and he told me he had run away and needed help. Then we called the police,’ Westerbeek told RTVDrenthe.
He said the man, whose beard was ‘dirty’ and hair unkempt, said that he had been inside for nine years and that he wanted to end the way his family were living.
He told him that his siblings were between the age of 16 and 25.
Westerbeek contacted the police who searched the farm and found a hidden staircase down to the cellar behind a cupboard in the living room.
When police stepped downstairs they found a 58-year-old man laying in bed.
The man, who has been identified to be the father, is said to have suffered from a stroke some years earlier. The man was later arrested for failing to help police with their investigation.
The windows at the farmhouse had been boarded up and the family appeared to be living self-sufficiently with their own vegetable garden and animals.
When they went downstairs there was a 58-year-old man who is reportedly the childrens’ father. He did not cooperate with police and was taken into custody
Police have not yet confirmed the relationship between the adults in the property.
One neighbour said they thought the father lived there alone.
RTVDrenthe reported that the farmhouse was hidden from the main road by trees and the access road to the property crosses a bridge over a canal.
The adult children were not registered by any local authorities.
During the search, the family members were taken from the property to a recreational park while authorities checked for fire and safety hazards.
The location of the mother is unknown.