Hermit family’s son in forced seclusion sought help from police a month before escape

Israel van Dorsten (28), who escaped from a Ruinerwold farm three years ago to tell locals at a pub that his father has been keeping him and his siblings isolated for years, asked three authorities for help a month before the police found his family. He said that in a book he wrote and published on the third anniversary of his escape, titled Wij waren, Ik ben. Weg uit Ruinerwold, AD reports.

Israel said he fought himself mentally for two years to break free from his father’s bizarre fantasy world. In 2019, he finally managed to convince himself to seek help and reported his situation to the police, Veilig Thuis, and welfare workers in Ruinerwold.

On 14 September 2019, he used a cellphone he had secretly purchased and made an anonymous report to the police. His father always told him that the police would destroy everything if they discovered them. He got no reply. A few weeks later, he sent another message, this time adding his name. He received a response asking him to call the general number to answer further questions. Israel then abandoned the attempt.

A few days later, he tried Veilig Thuis, an agency dedicated to helping victims of domestic abuse and other unsafe home situations. They referred him to the local welfare organization, De Wolden. Israel sent them a lengthy email explaining his situation. They asked that he make a physical appointment, something he found impossible given his father’s tightly controlled world.

Finally, on 13 October 2019, Israel snuck out of home again and went to the pub in Ruinerwold. In desperation, he asked the pub owner to call the police, who took him back to the farm.

A day later, the police raided the farm and found that father Gerrit Jan van D. had forced his nine now-adult children to live in complete isolation for years.

The police arrested the father on suspicion of deprivation of liberty of six of his children and the sexual abuse of two of them. Not all of the children support the accusations against their father. In March 2021, the court decided to drop the case against Van D., saying he was not fit to be tried.