The Tromp Family Fled Their Farm In 2016, And A Cop Called It 'The Most Bizarre Case' He'd Ever Seen
In late August of 2016, the Tromp family of Silvan, Australia, abandoned the family berry farm and successful earth-moving business and went off the grid, albeit briefly. The members of the family left their cell phones, passports, and credit cards behind with no explanation or warning that they were leaving town. The family of five drove north.
Why did the Tromp family leave behind all their possessions? And why would they put on such a bizarre act with everyone they came across? Even after the family returned home after nearly a week, there were no answers. The media and amateur sleuths have speculated about possible reasons, but the speculation remains just that, and the family's temporary exodus remains an enigma.
- Video: YouTube
Mark And Jacoba Tromp Fled Their Farm With Their Three Adult Children
On August 29, 2016, members of the Tromp family piled into the family car and drove away from their berry farm - and their successful business - without so much as a word to their friends and extended family.
The family - Mark and Jacoba Tromp, along with their adult children Mitchell, Ella, and Riana - left Silvan, east of Melbourne, and drove nearly a thousand miles across Australia. No one realized the family was missing, at first, but it wasn't long before the family splintered into individual groups, their erratic behavior finally drawing attention to the situation at hand.
Police Found The Family's Phones, Passports, And Credit Cards In The Abandoned Home
When the police were alerted to the family's bizarre disappearance by Riana and Ella, the first thing they did was pay a visit to the Tromps' abandoned berry farm. Inside the house (the doors were unlocked), authorities discovered personal possessions left conspicuously out in the open.
Passports, cell phones, and credit cards - the kinds of items most people in the modern world would take with them on a road trip - were left sitting on a table. The abandoned items suggested the Tromps didn't want to be followed.
Mark And Jacoba Made Their Son Throw His Phone Out The Car Window
The one member of the family who realized something was off about his parents was their son Mitchell, who brought along his phone on this impromptu excursion. He realized the family was being delusional and that his phone would be the one lifeline to civilization if things were to go south.
When his parents found out about the phone, they made Mitchell throw it out the car window to keep them from being electronically tracked. Once that was out of the equation, the family was truly cut off from civilization.
Mitchell Separated From The Rest Of The Family In Bathurst, 500 Miles From Home
500 miles into the family's thousand-mile road trip, Mitchell Tromp had enough of his family's shenanigans and left them to their own devices. At 7 am in Bathurst, west of Sydney, he left the group and took a series of trains home.
After everyone returned home safe and sound, Mitchell expressed regret at leaving his family when he did. He told the press he should have helped his family as things spiraled out of control, but at the time, his decision made sense:
I thought getting out was the best idea for me at the time. In hindsight, I should have tried to stay with them and try and help to bring them back around and talk to them more, but I got out of the car.
- Photo: Maksym Kozlenko / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Riana And Ella Stole A Car And Reported Mark And Jacoba Missing
No one knew the family was missing until Riana and Ella Tromp cut away from their parents while at the Jenolan Caves, a popular tourist destination. The two sisters took possession of a car and drove to Goulburn, about two hours south of their departure point.
Once they arrived, the girls reported their parents missing, a call that sent the country's authorities on a scramble to find the couple. After regrouping at home, Mitchell and Ella spoke to the press about their parents' odd behavior, saying they had never acted this way before - but insisting they weren't dangerous.
Riana Stowed Away In A Pickup Truck And Was Later Found Catatonic
After Ella and Riana escaped to Goulborn, they went their separate ways. Ella drove the rest of the way home, while Riana - still apparently suffering from some form of psychosis - slipped into the back of a truck.
The driver didn't realize Riana was hiding in his truck bed until he'd been on the road for about an hour. When he tried to speak to her, she was in a catatonic state and claimed she didn't know who or where she was. It was only after she was taken to a psychiatric hospital that she was identified as Riana Tromp.
Ella Was Charged With Taking A Car
Ella took a car in Goulburnhad, allowing her to make it back home before the rest of her siblings. After her arrival, Mitchell got back as well, having hopped a few trains.
The police were already waiting for the siblings. Ella was charged with taking the vehicle while the police continued their search for the parents. However, under Section 33 of the Mental Health Act of New South Wales, the charges were later dropped.
- Photo: WalkingMelbourne / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0
After Jacoba Headed North, Mark Broke Into A Hotel Room Before Escaping To The Woods
Once their children parted ways, the parents didn't stick together for long. While Jacoba tried to take a bus back home, Mark continued his streak of unsettling behavior.
He began tailgating a young couple, who eventually stopped their car. Mark responded by getting out of his vehicle, but after standing in the middle of the road and staring at the couple for a brief time, he suddenly ran into the woods.
Following his disappearance, Mark was connected with break-ins at Millers Cottage, a hotel in Wangaratta, and the Milawa General Store. Nothing was taken or damaged, so the Wangaratta authorities didn't press charges.
Jacoba Was Admitted To A Hospital, Where The Staff Recognized Her
As Mark Tromp was causing small-scale havoc across the Wangaratta area, his wife was attempting to travel home. However, she was in too much of a state of shock to get further than Yass, a little over three hours away from Wangaratta.
Once she arrived in Yass, she tried to book a hotel room but didn't have any way of paying. After exhibiting various signs of confusion, she was transported to a hospital by one of the locals.
The staff immediately recognized who she was and called the police. She was checked into a psychiatric hospital and placed under observation.
Prior To Fleeing, The Family Combed Through Years Of Their Financial Records
One of the strangest details about the Tromp family's disappearance, and one that lends itself to many conspiracy theories, is the surplus of financial documents the police found when they searched the family's home.
In addition to the credit cards, cell phones, and passports found lying around, authorities discovered stacks of the Tromps' financial records. From the looks of it, the family had gone through their personal records and placed them all around the house before taking off.
The Family Has No Explanation For Their Behavior
When asked to explain the odd behavior - including but not limited to their sudden departure - the Tromp family didn't have an answer. The family wasn't on drugs, and nobody was diagnosed with any mental health issues.
A police officer who knows the family personally said the Tromps weren't in debt, nor were they part of any fringe religious groups. After leaving the hospital, Riana Tromp said stress had been building up in the family for years and suggested the incident was simply how the tension finally let itself out.
Several Theories Have Been Proposed To Explain The Family's Puzzling Journey
While the Tromps chalk up their inexplicable behavior to a build-up of stress, online observers and other amateur sleuths have come up with their own theories to explain the family's disappearance.
Some believe the mob was in pursuit, primarily owing to the financial statements stacked up in the Tromps' home - but there's no evidence of any involvement with organized crime.
Among other suggested possibilities are environmental toxins from the family's farm - although once again, the details about what those toxins are and what effect they may have had remain vague. The Australian media has questioned whether carbon monoxide was the culprit.
The BBC reports Mark was increasingly stressed out and growing paranoid that someone was after his money. The report went on to suggest that his paranoia may have inflicted members of his family, leading to a psychiatric condition known as folie à deux, or “the madness of two.”
- Video: YouTube
A Police Sergeant Called The Case The Most Bizarre He'd Seen In Three Decades
After six days, the family was finally brought back together when Mark Tromp was found walking near the Wangaratta airport. Law enforcement determined he was not a threat and released him into the care of his brother, a police officer.
Mark's strange behavior initially continued on the drive back home, but he later settled down and even released a statement thanking the authorities who found him and apologizing for his actions.
An officer in the Silvan district of Victoria called the Tromp disappearance "the most bizarre case I've seen in 30 years."
The Family Was Mortified By The Situation
After being reunited, the family said they wanted time to process what they’d been through and the inherent weirdness of their disappearance. The family members who spoke to the media - especially Mark and Mitchell - were quick to apologize for the money spent on the search and the panic they caused.
Mark told the Sydney Morning Herald:
I am conscious of the burden these events have placed upon our extended family, friends and the community resources devoted to our aid. Without reservation, I apologize for the hurt and concern caused by these events.
