A successful farming family. A sudden disappearance. And a week-long odyssey that left two of them in psychiatric care and Australia asking: what were they running from?
On August 29, 2016, Mark, Jacoba, and their three adult children fled their Silvan farm, leaving behind phones, passports, credit cards, and even car keys in ignitions [citation:2]. They drove 800km through the night, convinced someone was trying to kill them and steal their money [citation:2]. Mitchell threw his phone out the window when his parents said it was a tracking device [citation:2]. At Bathurst, he left. At Jenolan Caves, the daughters stole a car and separated. Jacoba was found wandering Yass in an agitated state. Riana was discovered catatonic in a stranger's ute [citation:4]. Mark was the last found, flipping off cameras as police drove him away [citation:2].
Police ruled out drugs, debts, and cults. One officer called it "the most bizarre case I've seen in 30 years" [citation:2]. Experts suggest a shared delusion — folie à deux spreading through five people [citation:9].
Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play — because the Tromps fled something. But no one knows what.
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