The Tragic Story Of The Turpin Family

The following contains descriptions of abuse and neglect involving children that may be disturbing to some readers.

It was an upsetting story that shocked the country in 2018. News outlets were reporting that a 17-year-old girl escaped her family home and claimed that she and her siblings were being abused. The teen was just one of the 13 children that David and Louise Turpin kept trapped in their Perris, California, home (via NBC News). When authorities arrived at the suburban house, they discovered a house of horrors. They would find a dozen other children between the ages of 2 and 29 years old chained, abused, and tortured.

Just a few hours later, the elder Turpins were arrested on a slew of charges, including child abuse and false imprisonment (via Desert Sun). As more and more information about the living conditions of the Turpin children were revealed, the nation came to know the dire and disturbing lives that they forced all of their children to live under.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

The house was a scene of tragedy. The 17-year-old, Jordan Turpin, already had photo evidence that she personally took on a hidden cell phone that showed the conditions that her and her siblings endured. But when police arrived at the house to see for themselves during a welfare check, they discovered more than confirmation of what was going on (via Mercury News). They discovered children who were malnourished, and some of them chained up. There was also a lot of filth; the living space that the children were forced to live in was filled with spoiling garbage, rotting food, and the sight and smell of feces.

Aside from the grimy house, the children also showed visible signs of abuse, starvation, and were underdeveloped. And of course, they had no freedom and no connection with anyone other than the parents who kept them prisoner.

Upon medical inspection, the eldest and the youngest Turpin children went to the appropriate medical facilities for care. Several of the Turpin children had physical and mental damage from the long-term abuse. They would spend months in care before they were released (per People Magazine). In 2019, the Turpins were sentenced to 25 years to life (via CNN).

Recently, Jordan Turpin and the oldest Turpin child, her sister Jennifer, spoke out about their lives since Jordan's brave escape in a sit-down interview on "20/20" (available on YouTube).

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.