This is like the first episode of Twilight Zone or Fargo. OK merkins, tell me what REALLY happened.
Missing Victorian mother Jacoba Tromp found alive in NSW hospital
A mother is in hospital, a father is missing and their children are distressed after what was meant to be a technology-free family holiday went terribly awry.
In what police have described as a bizarre set of circumstances, the Tromp family became separated at different stages of their impromptu trip to NSW, before the children reported their parents missing on Tuesday morning.
Jacoba, 53, was found alive in Yass Hospital in NSW on Thursday morning.
But mystery still surrounds the whereabouts of her husband Mark, 51, as police search for him in the Wangaratta area, 350 kilometres away from where he was reported missing.
Police fear Mark may not want to be found.
The family drove from their home and berry farm in Silvan, in Melbourne's outer-east, on Monday morning with no planned destination in an attempt to escape what had become a fraught atmosphere.
Son Mitchell, 25, said there was a "build-up" of pressure that had caused his parents to become "paranoid".
"It slowly got worse as the days went by. I've never seen anything like it - it's really hard to explain," he told reporters on Thursday.
"They were just fearing for their lives, and then [we] decided to flee.
"I've never seen anything like it. The best way to describe it is like a movie."
It is believed the family drove in daughter Ella's Peugeot to Bathurst and then the Jenolan Caves area.
The three children decided they did not want to continue on as their parents became increasingly mentally distressed.
Mitchell was the first to abandon the family holidayat Kelso, in Bathurst, on Tuesday. He went to Sydney, before catching an overnight train back to Melbourne.
Daughters Riana, 29, and Ella, 22, went to Goulburn, where they split up at a service station.
Riana was later found under mental stress on the side of the road and taken to hospital. Ella somehow acquired a car and made her way back home. Police are making inquiries into how she got the car.
Their parents left the Jenolan Caves area together, but later separated.
Ella said it was the "general stress of life" which had got too much for the family.
She said the pressure on the family meant they weren't thinking clearly when they packed up and left without taking their possessions or mobile phones.
"They're the best people in the world; I work with my dad and brother every day," she said.
Mitchell said his mum, who is also known as Coby, was occasionally anxious, but not to the extent that she was on the trip.
"I just really want my dad to be found ... he's not dangerous; he's my mate, he's my father [and] I love him. I just want someone to find him and bring him home."
At one point on the trip, Mitchell admitted to having his mobile phone, but he voluntarily threw it out the window at Warburton.
The children reported their parents missing to Goulburn police on Tuesday, who appealed for public assistance to find them.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sergeant Mark Knight said it was one of the most bizarre cases he had been involved with in his 30 years of policing.
Exactly what sparked the family split remains unclear. There had been some arguments over money and general family disputes, Sergeant Knight said.
"We knew the family was traumatised by something, but we didn't know what," he said.
"Some of the family members wanted to come home and didn't want to continue on the family holiday."
Sergeant Knight said police initially feared something serious had happened when they found the Tromp's family home unlocked and with valuable possessions lying around.
The doors of the home were wide open and the car keys had been left in vehicles.
"On Tuesday afternoon when I was called to the actual address ... it was an unusual scene that I was faced with," he said.
"Keys were in cars, passports were there and phones were on the bench.
"It was an unusual crime scene, one that I hadn't seen before."
He said Goulburn police had notified him on Tuesday that Riana had been found, which sparked a wider search for the family. That search effort crossed state borders and involved police in both Bathurst and Wangaratta.
About 10pm on Wednesday, a man driving Ella's grey Peugeot station wagon, with Victorian number plates WRG 756, was reported to have followed a young couple in Wangaratta.
The young couple saw the man get out of the car and run into Merriwa Park near the centre of town.
It is believed that man was Mark.
Mark's mother, Wilma Tromp, told Fairfax Media she was relieved her daughter-in-law and grandchildren were safe.
Mrs Tromp said she had no idea why Mark was still missing, but urged him to come home.
"We're just very concerned," she said.
"We haven't got any answers. George and I are very thankful for what [the police] are doing and we just pray for a good outcome."
Police in Wangaratta have not found evidence of Mark leaving the town by public transport and there has been no reports of cars being stolen.
Detectives were contacting local motels on Thursday to determine if he had stayed overnight.
The Tromps own and operate Parkview Farm where they grow redcurrants.
The website for Parkview Farm offers visitors the chance to visit and pick their own berries.
"They all have their jobs on the property and they all work together," said neighbour Mark Chapman.
"They've all taken a strong interest in the farm."
Mr Chapman said the family holiday may have been the last opportunity for a break before the berry season starts in spring.
"It's quite typical for farmers this time of year when you're not busy on the farm," he said.
Mark Tromp is described as Caucasian, 185 centimetres tall, with a dark brown crew cut, clean-shaven face and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on
1800 333 000.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/fami...-and-jacoba-tromp-in-nsw-20160831-gr61fi.html
