Family found locked in secret room after living in isolation on Dutch farm for years

The small group of buildings after a family group were discovered to be living in secluded conditions in Ruinerwold, 130 kilometres (80 miles) northeast of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Dutch authorities are trying to piece together the story of a six-member family group believed to have lived for nine years on a farm, isolated from the outside world in the rural east of the Netherlands. Picture: RTL Netherlands via AP

The small group of buildings after a family group were discovered to be living in secluded conditions in Ruinerwold, 130 kilometres (80 miles) northeast of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Dutch authorities are trying to piece together the story of a six-member family group believed to have lived for nine years on a farm, isolated from the outside world in the rural east of the Netherlands. Picture: RTL Netherlands via AP

Published Oct 16, 2019

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Amsterdam - Dutch police said on Wednesday

they were questioning a man who paid the rent on a farmhouse

where six members of a family were found locked away in a secret

room after apparently living for years in isolation.

Five siblings, estimated to be between 18 and 25 years of

age, and a man they identified as their ailing father were found

near Ruinerwold, a village in the northern province of Drenthe.

A man who police said had paid the rent on the property was

detained, although they could not say on Wednesday whether he

was suspected of a crime. Local mayor Roger de Groot had said on

Tuesday that the 58-year-old was not the father of the family.

"The man is still in custody and is being questioned," said

Drenthe police spokeswoman Grietje Hartstra. "A lot is still

unclear and we are investigating exactly what happened there."

The family, who according to local news reports had been

waiting for the end of time, was discovered after one member,

reportedly a 25-year-old man and the eldest of the siblings,

escaped and sought help at a nearby cafe.

Police said they found the family in a "small space in the

house which could be locked" and that it was unclear whether

they were being held against their will.

Officials have not commented on reports that the family may

have held "end of days" apocalyptic beliefs.

"There is a lot of speculation in the media about what

happened, but as police we deal with facts. We still have a lot

of unanswered questions," Hartstra said.

The children's mother was believed to have died before the

family moved to the Dutch farm in 2010, mayor de Groot said.

None of the family members were registered as residents with the

municipality, police said.

Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad said the man in custody was

an Austrian carpenter identified as "Joseph B.". It was not

clear what his role was or whether he lived on the farm.

The siblings had apparently lived in makeshift rooms inside

the farm and survived partly on vegetables and animals from a

secluded garden on the property, local TV RTV Drenthe reported. 

Reuters

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