Every now and then we hear of stories in the news that capture our hearts or learning of a new invention. Today, sadly, it is not the case for this story. Today, we are going to talk about the household or should I say “the house of horrors” with the Turpins. Their story is one filled with unbelievably despair, anger, a brave girl by the name of Jordan Turpin, maltreatment and trauma. (Disclaimer: For the purpose of this post, we will not be sharing any of the children’s faces to protect their identity. However; we did mention Jordan Turpin as she has given interviews on what has happened and we will only share a picture of Jordan from the officer’s camera which is slightly distorted.)
Who are the Turpins?
The Turpins was a house hold that consist of a woman named Louise Ann Turpin who was married to a man named David Allen Turpin that resided in Perris, California. Together, they had 13 children. The thing about this “family” that was incredibly sickening to hear was that for years dating back to sometime in the 90’s, these children were physically and emotionally abused by David and Louise. For this post, we will not call them mom and dad as no loving parent would ever do such a thing to their children. The children ages ranged from 29 years of age to the youngest of being only 2-years-old at the time in 2018.
What kind of abuse did the children endure?
Starvation – David and Louise would allow their children to eat only one meal a day. These people would starved them to the point where they stopped growing and suffered muscle shrinkage. The oldest child was 29-years-old only weighing 82 pounds. The 11-year-old was so malnourished that her arm circumference was equivalent to that of a 4-month-old. The children would live off on bologna and peanut butter. Jordan (one of the daughters) reported that she would have to figure how to eat and reported to eating ketchup, mustard, or ice.
Hygiene – The children reported to not having bathe in months. Several of the children has never even been to a doctor or dentist before. When the children were rescued there was reports that the they didn’t even know how to brush their teeth.
Chained up – The children were chained up to filthy beds or furniture, locked in their rooms and deprived of basic human rights.
Bible quotes justified abuse – The children beatings were justified further by quoting from the bible to justify their actions.
Kept in cages – One of the Turpin children reported that the older children were responsible for putting any of the younger children in dog cages if they did not listen and acted up.
Lived in stench – Although the house was tidy on the outside, it was a completely different story on the inside. Inside the house was filled with urine, spoiled food and feces.
Deprived of toys – Louise would buy the children toys and sit it in front of them and never let them play with it almost as a way to taunt them.
Why did they do it?
There is no clear cut reason as to why David and Louise chose to do what they did. However; many did suspect that they did these horrible things to keep their children from authorities for ideological reasons or because they that they did not trust those outside of their family.
January 14, 2018, the day that everything changed.
Jordan Turpin (17 at the time) saw that her younger sisters were in cages at the time. The siblings had informed Jordan that she needs to get help. Jordan was able to get a cell phone that her brother had and was going to throw away. Jordan reported that she wanted the phone so that she can call the police. It is unknown as to why the brother didn’t call the police when he had the phone. It is possible that he was scared to do so. Jordan took it upon herself to leave the house at night with the phone. Jordan was able to walk down the street but being terrified looking back to make sure that David or Lousie would not see her. Jordan was convinced that if they knew what she was doing, they would kill her. Jordan managed to call the police but had difficulty explaining where she was located to having never really been outside. The police were eventually able to located her.
Jordan manage to take graphic photos of her siblings. Jordan reported that she was scared as she has never talked to a stranger before. The officer asked Jordan if she has any proof of the allegations that she was making. Jordan manage to take photos of her siblings in cages, while others were chained up and malnourished. Jordan reported that her siblings were chained up because they stole food as they were hungry. After seeing the photos, the officer reported that it was a seal deal for him. The officer reported that is when he radioed in back up and had Jordan sit in the back of his police car. Once back up came to assist they were on their way to the Turpin house.
The Turpin children rescue
The officers rang the door for about 2 minutes and Louise finally opened the door. The officers reported that there was a call about a girl walking around the streets. The officers reported that they were there to do a welfare check. In California, if a child could be in possible danger, no warrant is needed. For a safety check, the officers had to check on all 12 children and their safety. Jordan being the 13th child was still in the back of a cop car being too scared to get out. Walking in, the officers were horrified of the conditions where garbage, feces, spoiled food was everywhere in the home. This home was not even suitable for pets to live.
Some of the children were found chained while the others were found in different rooms living in filth. David and Louise were immediately handcuffed. The children were immediately taken to the hospital. After the hospital, the children were placed into 2 different foster care homes while the older kids were placed into emergency housing. Despite receiving $600,000 from generous strangers across the country, the Turpin children have had difficulty accessing the money, and questions as to why have gone unanswered by county officials who cited court-ordered secrecy, ABC reported.”They’re living in squalor. They’re living in crime-ridden neighborhoods. There’s money for their education, they can’t access it,” Hestrin said. “They have been victimized again by the system, and that’s unimaginable to me that we could have the very worst case of child abuse that I’ve ever seen, maybe one of the worst in California history, and that we would then not be able to get it together to give them basic needs, basic necessities,” he added.
David and Lousie now?
Perris, California, U.S. In February 2019, both Turpins pleaded guilty on 14 felony counts, including cruelty to a dependent adult, child cruelty, torture, and false imprisonment. In April, they were sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
Justin Bieber?
Jordan reported that she first noticed that there was a different world outside of the one she was staying in when she saw a video of Justin Bieber. Jordan reported “I don’t know where we would be if we didn’t watch Justin Bieber,” Turpin tells Sawyer in the sneak peek above. “Sometimes, especially when we were younger, my mother and father would leave. The older ones would sneak in and turn on the TV. So we would see music videos and stuff, and that’s where we learned a lot. I would watch a lot of Justin Bieber.”Turpin cites “As Long As You Love Me,” “Boyfriend,” and “Baby” as her favorite Bieber songs, but she says it was really his interviews that woke her up to the outside world and the fact that there was more to life than the strict existence her parents had trapped her in.
Where are the kids now?
From what is last known from earlier this year, 3 children remain in foster care. Jordan Turpin is now living in her own apartment and exploring a career as a motivational speaker and establishing herself as a influencer on Tik Tok. At the time of their discovery by the police, seven of the eldest children were legally adults and were provided with rented apartments by the state of California. The remaining minors were taken in by a foster family, Marcelino Olguin and his wife Rosa, who lived in close proximity to the original Turpin home. Unfortunately, the Olguin couple and their daughter Lennys subjected the six minors to severe physical and emotional abuse, as alleged in a lawsuit filed in July 2022. They manipulated the children, even attempting to coerce them into committing suicide, and threatened to return them to their abusive parents. On the other hand, the other seven Turpin family members were reportedly housed in subpar apartments in unsafe neighborhoods. As of 2023, three of the Turpin sisters, namely Jordan, Jennifer, and Jeanetta, have emerged as the most vocal members of the family. They maintain close connections with each other, frequently meeting up and sharing their life updates on Instagram. However, the remaining siblings prefer to keep a low profile and avoid the public eye. The journey of the Turpin children serves as a stark reminder of the importance of providing adequate care and support for survivors of abuse and the significance of vigilance within the foster care system to ensure the safety and well-being of vulnerable individuals. As they continue to navigate their individual paths to healing and recovery, their story highlights the resilience and strength of survivors in overcoming unimaginable hardships. “Some of them (The Turpin children) are living independently, living in their own apartment, and have jobs and are going to school. Some volunteer in the community. They go to church.”
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