Table Of Content
- Where are the Turpin family siblings now?
- MORE: Turpin siblings speak out in 1st interview about 'house of horrors'
- Watch the Diane Sawyer special event, "Escape From A House Of Horror," on Hulu.
- ParentsTurpin sisters who escaped California ‘house of horrors’ speak out about abuse
- MORE: Turpin children speak out as parents are sentenced in torture case: 'I'm taking my life back'
Disturbing details about the case came to light in January 2018, after one of the daughters escaped their home in Perris, California, and called 911 using a cellphone she had taken with her. The girl, who was 17 at the time, told police that her brothers and sisters were being held by their parents, David and Louise Turpin, and some were chained, investigators said. A major challenge for the Turpins has been accessing the state and county social service programs they were entitled to, as well as the donations that came in following their parents' arrest.
Where are the Turpin family siblings now?
"When the case first broke, I obviously got thousands of offers of help ... dentists, and doctors, and people saying, 'I will serve these kids pro bono. Please send them my way,'" she said. Nearly four years later, and with nearly all media coverage gone, the order sealing almost every record in the case remains in place, effectively blocking any scrutiny from the public. In late 2018, Judge Thomas Cahraman, overseeing the conservatorships, expressed concerns that the sealing order was "too broad" -- but he ruled to keep it in place. At first, he was not sure what to make of it, but when he saw Jordan's photos of her dirty, shackled sisters he said it "really sealed the deal for me". "Over this last year, I have learned a lot about mental health and everything. It was a really rough year," Turpin said.
MORE: Turpin siblings speak out in 1st interview about 'house of horrors'
Inside 'house of horrors' where boys, 7 and 9, were locked up in 'worst case ever seen' - Express
Inside 'house of horrors' where boys, 7 and 9, were locked up in 'worst case ever seen'.
Posted: Sat, 25 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Both Jordan and Jennifer Turpin declined to discuss their other siblings, wanting to protect their privacy and making it clear they were only sharing their own experiences. They shared that the siblings see each other often and relish these moments. After being in the hospital, Jordan said the first place she went to was a park with two of her sisters.
Watch the Diane Sawyer special event, "Escape From A House Of Horror," on Hulu.
In the complaints, they allege not only that the foster family had a prior history of abusing children, but also that the organizations were aware of that history — and failed to act even after the children asked for help. After a Nov. 9 meeting of the county's Board of Supervisors, Chairwoman Karen Spiegel, the county's top elected official, declined to discuss specifics about what has transpired with the Turpin children since they were rescued. "Have there been other issues that have come to light in the many foster care homes in which the minor Turpin children have been placed?" Scott asked Donaldson. "They had to go to churches and eat because they didn't know how to manage money ... and some without housing at times." "They have been victimized again by the system," Mike Hestrin, the Riverside County district attorney, told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in an interview for the 20/20 special event, "Escape From A House Of Horror." The interview featured newly-released bodycam footage showing Jordan after she had fled her parent's house, which became known as the "house of horror".
Jordan Turpin details moment she escaped 'house of horrors': 'That was my only chance'
Some of the 13 children held captive for years in a horrific child abuse case gave emotional statements in court as their parents were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Friday. The "house of horrors" case shocked the country in January 2018 after a 17-year-old girl jumped out a window from the filthy home where she lived in isolation with her parents and 12 siblings. Jennifer Turpin, and one of her sisters, Jordan Turpin, are telling their story for the first time in an exclusive interview with Sawyer. In their interview, the Turpin daughters described years of their parents, David and Louise Turpin, abusing them and their siblings, some of whom were shackled to beds for months at a time, and being deprived of food, hygiene, education and health care. One sister got lost and returned to the house, but the other called 911 — bringing the police and ultimately freedom. Their parents, David and Louise Turpin, pleaded guilty in 2019 to multiple felony counts, including torture and false imprisonment and are now serving a sentence of 25 years to life.
"[Talking to the dispatcher], I was like, 'I'm scared [my parents] are going to come,'" she continued. "They would just kill me right there, especially if they knew I was on the phone with the police." She said she asked her sisters, chained to a bed, for permission to take their photos before doing so, which she did with her brother’s old cell phone that she had secretly gotten hold of. "I was always terrified that if I called the cops or tried to escape, I would get caught, and then I knew I would die if I got caught," Jordan, now 21, told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview.
How did the Turpin family escape the "House of Horrors?"
Prosecutors said the punishment ranged from being beaten and choked to being shackled to their beds with no access to the bathroom for months at a time. "We are confident, given what they've been through and how resilient they are, that they're going to be really successful," said Jack Osborn, a court-appointed attorney for the seven adult children, after their parents' sentencing in 2019. The five children had even been adopted by that family in October 2019, the same time-period in which the alleged abuse was occurring. ChildNet declined to provide details about the vetting of the family, citing confidentiality laws. Recent court filings show the court-appointed public guardian failed to file the annual accounting for the trust, leaving the family's finances opaque.
ParentsTurpin sisters who escaped California ‘house of horrors’ speak out about abuse
Authorities said only one child, a son, was allowed to leave home to attend classes at a community college but was always accompanied by his mother. David and Louise Turpin would also bake pies and not let the children eat, and buy toys but refused to let the children open them. The couple's youngest child was the only one who appeared to have not been abused. In the Sawyer interview, the girl who called 911 talked about the courage to finally escape. "The only word I know to call it is hell," one of the sisters said in a clip of an upcoming "20/20" special with Diane Sawyer. Jennifer said they would stop by once a week to drop off groceries, but it was never enough food to feed everyone, and sometimes they would skip a week.
MORE: Turpin children speak out as parents are sentenced in torture case: 'I'm taking my life back'
On January 14, 2018, one of the daughters, then-17-year-old Jordan Turpin, escaped and called local police, who then raided the residence and discovered disturbing evidence. Given the number of dependents involved, the degree of abuse, and the protracted nature occurring over decades, the story garnered significant national and international news. Experts in family abuse considered the case to be extraordinary for many reasons.
State law mandates confidentiality on all juvenile court proceedings, effectively shielding the records of the minor Turpin children. But in the probate court overseeing the adult Turpin children's cases, a blanket sealing order has been issued as well-- an unusual move enacted right after the children were rescued in order to protect them from the onslaught of media coverage. Both David and Louise were charged with multiple counts of torture, false imprisonment and child abuse. Jordan and her 13-year-old sister escaped the house together by crawling out a window in January 2018, but the younger girl went back home after she got scared. Jordan, who had spent two years devising the plan with some of her siblings, carried her older brother's deactivated cellphone and called 911. The children were not the only beings in the home who were subjected to their parent’s cruel treatment.
Jordan Turpin's daring escape from her parent's "house of horror" has been revealed in never-before-seen bodycam footage. The Turpin parents managed to hide their abuse for years by having the family sleep during the day and awake at night. Both parents worked in their home and set up their property as a private K-12 school with the California Department of Education. Prosecutors said the deal would likely keep them in prison for the rest of their lives and spare the children from testifying. Police rushed all 13 children to the hospital, where they were treated, given clean clothes, rooms and food. The first thing Jordan said she ate was macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets.
"I was worried about my siblings and when I saw them crying and worried, I just felt like I had to do it. ... I wanted to help everyone." The deputy decided to call for backup, and he and other authorities went to the Turpin family home after daybreak to perform a welfare check, about an hour and a half after Turpin first escaped. Finally, Deputy Anthony Colace arrived on the scene and spoke to Turpin. He said in the "20/20" interview that he had been nearing the end of his shift, and expected the call to be about a runaway child who needed to be returned home.
Five Turpin children remained in that home for three years while the alleged abuse took place. A lawyer for one of those family members said, "The family are devastated by these charges. At this point, we do not know the basis for these charges, and my client is denying these charges are true." Reports detailing the children's well-being, records accounting for the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised by strangers, and other documents in the court filing remain sealed.
“I would try to stretch it out and make sure that we at least had stuff to eat each day of the week,” she said. Their new house eventually became filthy, Jennifer Turpin said, covered in mold, dirt and trash. The mother she used to adore started having violent mood swings when she was still very little, she said. Watch the Diane Sawyer special event, "Escape From A House Of Horror," on Friday, Nov. 19 at 9 p.m.
At the time, she said two of her sisters were in chains for stealing their mother’s candy. She said she watched Bieber’s interviews, movies and used it to make little videos to post on social media. One day, she said someone commented on one of her posts to ask why she was always inside and awake at night. "That was my only chance,” Jordan said. "I think it was us coming so close to death so many times. Jordan Turpin said she was in a room where two of her little sisters had been chained to their beds for as long as four months.
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