In a BuzzFeed Unsolved episode, the hosts discuss the puzzling case of the Tromp family from Australia, who inexplicably left their farm and business in 2016, leading to a nationwide search. The family members gradually separated during their journey, displaying erratic behavior and leaving behind phones and credit cards to avoid being tracked. The case remains unsolved, with theories ranging from environmental toxins to collective delusions, but no definitive answers have emerged as to why the Tromps fled or what led them to act so strangely. The family has since returned home, but the mystery of their actions continues to perplex both the public and the Tromps themselves.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. On August 29, 2016, a family of six, including Mark Trump, 51, and Jacoba Trump, 53, and their three children, Rihanna, 29, Mitchell, 25, and Ella, 22, fled their farm in Silvan, Australia.
2. The family left behind their mobile phones, passports, and credit cards, and their trip was meant to be "cash-only" and "off the grid".
3. Mitchell Trump brought his cell phone, but his parents forced him to throw it out the window 19 miles into their trip.
4. The family drove to Bathurst, roughly 500 miles away from their home, in Ella's two-year-old Pajero SUV.
5. Rihanna and Ella broke off from the family on August 30, 2016, and stole a car to drive to Goulburn, where they reported their parents as missing.
6. Rihanna was later found catatonic in the back of a Ford F-250, and did not know her name or location.
7. Ella made it back home on August 30, 2016, and the police were already there investigating.
8. Mark Trump was found wandering down a road in Wangaratta on September 3, 2016, and was questioned by police and given a mental health assessment.
9. Jacoba Trump took public transportation to Yass and tried to book a motel room, but was recognized by hospital staff and reported to the police.
10. The family's farm was found to be in disarray, with piles of documents and financial records scattered throughout the home.
11. Police found no evidence of the family using drugs, having outstanding debts, or being part of a church or cult.
12. The family's behavior was described as "bizarre" by Sergeant Mark Knight, who worked on the investigation.
13. The family's children, Mitchell and Ella, appeared before the media to thank the police and media for finding their father, but did not go into detail about what happened.
14. The family's motives for leaving their home and going on the road trip remain unclear, with various theories including environmental poisoning, mob involvement, and a shared delusional disorder called folie à famille.