David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, from Perris, California were arrested after police discovered they had been starving their 13 children while holding them captive in their home.
Police were tipped off by the Turpins' 17-year-old daughter, who managed to escape and called police using a cell phone she had stolen from inside. Despite her age, authorities took the girl to be around 10 years old based on her frail condition. Once police arrived to the home, they immediately noticed a foul smell coming from inside the property. A quick search proved the escaped teen's account of what was going on to be true. "Deputies located what they believed to be 12 children inside the house, but were shocked to discover that 7 of them were actually adults, ranging in age from 18 to 29," police said in a statement. "The victims appeared to be malnourished and very dirty." Police say the victims were chained to their beds with padlocks.
The siblings, who ranged in age from two to 29, were taken to the Perris Station for statements and fed after telling investigators they were “starving.” They were all later sent to local medical facilities for treatment, according to their ages.
Neither Mr. or Mrs. Turpin were able to provide an explanation as to why their children were kept restrained. . The Turpins are being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center on $9 million bail. A hearing has been scheduled for January 18.
