Dutch police officers have managed to put an end to a family’s ordeal. Waiting for the “end of the world”, the head of the family, a 58-year-old man, forced all members of his family to live in a basement for nine years.
The man, along with his six children aged between 16 and 25, lived on a farm in the northern province of Drenthe. They were discovered after the eldest child walked into a bar near the village of Ruinerworld, ordered a beer and told the staff he needed help, according to BBC News.
Those who listened to his story said that the young man seemed very confused, and realized that he was living in total isolation, waiting for the end of the world.
“He ordered five beers and drank them all. Then I had a chat with him and he revealed he had run away and needed help… then we called the police. (…) He had long hair, a dirty beard, wore old clothes and looked confused. He said he’d never been to school and hadn’t been to the barber for nine years.
He said he had brothers and sisters who lived at the farm. He said he was the oldest and wanted to end the way they were living,” bar owner Chris Westerbeek told the press.
The farm is in a remote area, at a considerable distance from the village of Ruinerworld, which has 3,000 inhabitants. People who have passed by the farm before said they have only ever seen a man in the area, but never a child. The postman also said that he had not had any mail delivered to the address in the past nine years.
The 58-year-old man has been arrested but refuses to cooperate with investigators. Law enforcement officials posted a message on Twitter saying that the case is complicated, and they are concerned about the condition of other family members.
It is also unclear what happened to the children’s mother. It is suspected that she died and was buried near the farm.