Revealed: Handyman, 58, dubbed 'Josef the Austrian' who 'imprisoned family for NINE YEARS in secret room at Dutch farmhouse waiting for 'end of times' is their former next-door neighbour' - as it emerges some 'victims' can no longer speak

  • Police rescued a father and his five adult children living at remote Dutch house
  • Seventh person, Austrian Josef Brunner, 58, who rented the house, was arrested
  • Josef Brunner will appear in court on Thursday after arrest for imprisoning family
  • Neighbour has now revealed Brunner used to live next to the family 16 years ago
  • Police were alerted to the family after a 25-year-old man, revealed as Jan Zon van Dorsten, walked to a local bar and asked for help 

An Austrian handyman who allegedly held a family of six hostage in a Dutch farmhouse basement for nine years had previously lived next door to his 'victims' 16 years ago, a former neighbour has revealed.

Josef Brunner, 58, is accused of keeping the family – including pensioner Geert van Dorsten and his five adult children - beneath the floor of a remote property as they 'waited for the world to end'.

Brunner has been arrested for imprisoning the family in a 'secret room' as it emerged that some of the alleged victims can no longer speak.

The family of six were discovered after the eldest son, 25, walked to a nearby bar in Ruinerwold, 60 miles north of Amsterdam, on Sunday, ordered five beers, and asked for help.  

Officers found his four brothers and sisters, aged between 18 and 25, along with their father in a room hidden behind a staircase. 

Now a former neighbour has revealed how Brunner lived next door to the 'off-grid' family for a brief period in Hasslet, the Netherlands. 

Officers found his four brothers and sisters, aged between 18 and 25, along with their father in a room hidden behind a staircase in Ruinerwold, 60 miles north of Amsterdam

Officers found his four brothers and sisters, aged between 18 and 25, along with their father in a room hidden behind a staircase in Ruinerwold, 60 miles north of Amsterdam

A former neighbour has revealed how Josef Brunner lived next door to the 'off-grid' family for a brief period in Hasslet, the Netherlands

A former neighbour has revealed how Josef Brunner lived next door to the 'off-grid' family for a brief period in Hasslet, the Netherlands

Former neighbour Sandra Soer said: 'The majority of children born in this house. There was no midwife involved. They all did that themselves.

'A daughter had a birthday on the same day as my daughter. They often played together. But only in their back garden. The children never went out on the street or came to our house. You'd often see them climbing in the trees.

'The children didn't go to a school in the neighborhood. But I saw them leave every morning with a bag with their father, so I assumed they were going to school somewhere else.'

Mrs Soar said Brunner only lived in the street for a very short time. She said she thought he knew the reclusive van Dorstens before he moved in because shortly afterwards they removed a fence that separated their back gardens.

But by 2004, before Geert's wife died in mysterious circumstances, he had already left.

Mrs Soer said: 'One day Gerrit-Jan came and told me that his wife had just died of colon cancer. Nobody knew she was that sick. No one knew when she was buried.

A woman who used to be 'Josef the Austrian's next door neighbor said he had only lived on the street, next to the 'imprisoned family' for a short time

A woman who used to be 'Josef the Austrian's next door neighbor said he had only lived on the street, next to the 'imprisoned family' for a short time

Officers raided this property on Sunday where they discovered Jan's family living in an 'enclosed space'. Josef Brunner, 58, who rented the property, was arrested

Officers raided this property on Sunday where they discovered Jan's family living in an 'enclosed space'. Josef Brunner, 58, who rented the property, was arrested

Jan Zon van Dorsten, 25, is the son who alerted Dutch police to the plight of his four brothers and sisters and their father, who were living in isolation at a remote house while apparently waiting 'for the end of times'

Jan Zon van Dorsten, 25, is the son who alerted Dutch police to the plight of his four brothers and sisters and their father, who were living in isolation at a remote house while apparently waiting 'for the end of times'

The family ran this shop Zwartluis, which was searched by the police shortly after they were found

The family ran this shop Zwartluis, which was searched by the police shortly after they were found

'Not long after, the family had left but they continued to pay the rent for the house. One of the daughters lived in the house for a while. I think she was sixteen. But a short time later when someone from the housing association came round, the house was vacated.'

Mr van Dorsten and Brunner both shared a passion for woodwork. He was a toy maker and his eventual captor built wooden canoes.

Brunner only lived at in the ground floor of the house at de Weerd in Hasselt for a few months and disappeared.

Ms Soer went on: 'I was surprised that they had remained in contact and even more shocked when I heard what had happened to Geert and his family.

'Josef was never friendly. He never said hello. He wasn't friends with anybody.

'He never had a wife. He never had a girlfriend. He would never go to a bar. He was just mysterious.

'When they left, I didn't know where they'd gone.

'It was a total surprise to me that they were still in touch with Josef. This is a very sad situation for the family.'

Jan raised the alarm after walking from the house to a local bar where he ordered five beers and told the bartender that he couldn't go home

Jan raised the alarm after walking from the house to a local bar where he ordered five beers and told the bartender that he couldn't go home

Cafe De Kastelein in Ruinerwold where Jan Zon van Dorsten drank beer and raised the alarm

Cafe De Kastelein in Ruinerwold where Jan Sun from Dorsten drink beer and raises the alarm

Native Creative Economy, a company based in Meppel which is owned by Josef Brunner

Native Creative Economy, a company based in Meppel which is owned by Josef Brunner

Geert owned a toy shop and moved over the years into rented properties in the village in Zwartsluis before moving into the rented detached house at Ruinerwold which has been sealed off by police.

The van Dorstens allegedly lived like hobbits in the basement of the remote farmhouse for almost a decade before their secret was exposed this week when the eldest son walked into a bar and told the owner how the family had been living.

Jan Zon van Dorsten, 25, drink five pints of beer in the café De Kastelein and revealed to the owner Chris Westerbeek how they had been living.

Neighbours said they had been suspicious about Brunner who would go back and forth from the house to his workshop 15 miles away in a Volvo every day.

Meanwhile MailOnline can reveal how Brunner lived illegally in a trailer four miles from the house where the family of six were imprisoned.

The caravan was parked behind his workshop at Meppel.

He would make weekly visits to a local Lidl supermarket in to stock up on supplies for the family.

A man who owns a building business next door said: 'I have known him for about seven years, but I really know very little about him.

Police continued working at the property Wednesday, as they try to unravel the mystery of how the family came to be there, and whether they were being kept against their will

Police continued working at the property Wednesday, as they try to unravel the mystery of how the family came to be there, and whether they were being kept against their will

Police say they are puzzled by the case - a mystery that is deepened by the fact that Jan had access to social media and had been posting since June this year until the time he was rescued

Police say they are puzzled by the case - a mystery that is deepened by the fact that Jan had access to social media and had been posting since June this year until the time he was rescued

'I would see him every day, but he will just say hello. Only wants to look inside his work premises and I saw a trailer hidden behind a wall where he was living.

'I could never have imagined that he had another home and six people were in there. He never ever talk about friends or anybody.

It is not allowed for him to live here, but he used to.

'I was curious because he would buy something like 50 toilet rolls and huge boxes of food once a week and then drive off with them. But he lived here. So he wasn't living with that family.'

Another man, a truck driver, said: 'He was always very secretive. He never spoke with anybody.

'He would reverse his blue Volvo onto the drive of his workshop, and then go inside for the night. Nobody knew him. He didn't want to speak to anybody.'  

Brunner, known as 'Josef the Austrian' will appear in court on Thursday, as it emerged the family can barely talk and speak in a 'fantasy language' after spending nine years in isolation.

Investigators today revealed they had difficulty understanding the victims, with parts of their speech deemed 'incomprehensible' - and said they slept and ate on the floor in a room with no windows, according to local reports.

Despite sharing a 'small, enclosed space' with no natural light, police confirmed the family were not malnourished and looked 'normal'.   

Jan Zon van Dorsten
Jan Zon van Dorsten

Jan was active on Facebook until 2010, when it is thought his family moved to the house, before his profile went silent - only to activate again in June this year

Investigators admit they are still deeply puzzled by the case and are still working to answer key questions - such as whether the family were held against their will by Brunner. 

However more details may emerge when he appears in court for the remand hearing, after being charged with the deprivation of liberty and prejudicing the health of others.  

Neighbours told local media they were puzzled by the man - described as a skilled 'wood-worker' - as it emerged the 'odd-jobs-man' had asked neighbours for renovation tips such as laying concrete and appeared to have renovated the isolated home alone. 

He would reportedly ask locals for tips on building and construction but would not elaborate on where he lived or with whom. 

One local told Bild newspaper: 'The man has renovated all this alone, came with his trailer and building materials. I've always wondered 'how can he do it all on his own?' 

'He must have had help, it can not be done on his own.'

Police were still present at the house on Wednesday, three days after the initial raid took place

Police were still present at the house on Wednesday, three days after the initial raid took place

The house is located in Ruinerwold, around 60 miles north of Amsterdam, and it is thought the family moved there in 2010

The house is located in Ruinerwold, around 60 miles north of Amsterdam, and it is thought the family moved there in 2010

Residents also claim Brunner had surveillance cameras around the property, kept the gate locked and peered through binoculars. 

He would reportedly 'chase' people away that strayed too close to the house. 

'It was enough for you to come near the farm and he sent you away. He followed everything with binoculars,' one local told Aftonbladet.  

Local media said Brunner had a small workshop in Meppel and came to the Netherlands in 2010, the same year the family were locked up at the remote house, though the Austrian authorities have yet to confirm this.  

It comes after the first pictures emerged of Jan Zon van Dorsten, 25, who saved the family after he walked to a nearby bar and asked for help. 

Police say Jan had been living in a 'small, enclosed space' for the last nine years until he appeared at the bar. 

The mystery is deepened further by the fact that Jan, the eldest son, had access to social media and had been active on Facebook since June this year. 

Posts on his public profile show he used the platform for several years until 2010, when he posted saying that he had moved to Ruinerwold - the village where the house is located.

Police raided the property along with a workshop belonging to Brunner in the nearby village of Meppel, where Jan listed himself as working

Police raided the property along with a workshop belonging to Brunner in the nearby village of Meppel, where Jan listed himself as working 

Bar owner, Chris Westerbeek, recalled the 25-year-old man came in numerous times over a number of days and looked 'confused'

Bar owner, Chris Westerbeek, recalled the 25-year-old man came in numerous times over a number of days and looked 'confused'

Police spokesman Ramona Venema confirmed the family was found at the remote house

Police spokesman Ramona Venema confirmed the family was found at the remote house

The profile then goes silent until June this year, when it suddenly reactivated with a post announcing that Jan was working as an online store manager at Creconat, located in Meppel - a village around four miles from Ruinerwold.

'Creativity for everyone!' the post says.

Creconat is associated with a timber company called Native Creative Economy, also based in Meppel, which is owned by Brunner, according to De Telegraaf

Police raided the premises on Monday, a neighbour said. It is not clear what, if anything, was found.

Jan spent his time on social media posting pictures of nature and promoting causes, such as climate strikes.

On Saturday he uploaded three photos of landmarks around Ruinerwold that were taken in the dark. It is thought these were taken while he was walking to the bar. 

It is reported he went to the bar three times before the barman - Chris Westerbeek - called police, describing Jan as dishevelled, confused and needing help.

None of Jan's family were registered on government databases, police have confirmed - perhaps indicating how they managed to go undetected for years. 

Local media reported Brunner was born in Vienna. The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs could only confirm that Josef has requested not to be contacted by the embassy, and has refused their help.

A man named online as Tonnie, who had the workshop next to Josef's, told Dutch news site ED that he was a highly skilled woodworker and often made parts for pleasure yachts. 'A real craftsman,' he said. 

Alida ten Oever, who owned the house and rented it to Josef, said that he always paid rent on time and that she never saw signs of other people living at the property.

Neighbours told RTV Drenthe that Josef was a private man who never allowed visitors inside the house.

The house itself was set back 200 yards from the nearest road, and another 100 yards from the nearest building. 

Pictures show it was surrounded by trees, blocking off the view, and also had a perimeter fence.

Vegetables were being grown in plots surrounding the property, while a goat was also kept there.  

Locals who visited said there was a security camera trained on the yard, and there were suspicions within the village that Josef was growing cannabis.

However, as news of the family spread, there was widespread shock and disbelief.

'We are quite perplexed about it all,' landlady Oever said. 

Ruinerwold mayor Roger de Groot told a press conference that neither he nor the police had ever seen anything like it. 

Speaking about the inside of the house, he added: 'The police found a number of rooms with makeshift furnishings where the family lived a withdrawn existence. That is where the six were found.'

He denied that the family had been living in a basement.

A statement from local police said Brunner was refusing to cooperate with the investigation but was detained and being interrogated. 

'We understand that everyone still has many questions,' a police spokesman said. 'We do too. That is why we want to do our research thoroughly and carefully. 

'This means that we may not be able to answer everything immediately. Simply because sometimes we don't have answers yet. Or we cannot share them.

'We have called in a Large Scale Investigation Team (TGO). Investigators are probing possible criminal offenses under the leadership of the Public Prosecution Service.' 

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.