It's a lot weirder than you're making it out to be:
> "Officers visited the remote farmhouse and carried out a search. They discovered a hidden staircase behind a cupboard in the living room that led down to a basement room where the family were housed."
My parents have a fully furnished basement. That's not weird. Even having a bedroom in a basement is slightly weird but not terribly so. But when you throw in the context of the hidden staircase it all becomes much much weirder.
> "Officers visited the remote farmhouse and carried out a search. They discovered a hidden staircase behind a cupboard in the living room that led down to a basement room where the family were housed."
My parents have a fully furnished basement. That's not weird. Even having a bedroom in a basement is slightly weird but not terribly so. But when you throw in the context of the hidden staircase it all becomes much much weirder.