The ‘happy family’ at centre of torture allegations
The 13 California siblings kept in “horrific” conditions by their parents — including some who were shackled to furniture and others who were starved — are being treated after an ordeal that could leave them scarred for years, authorities say.
David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were each charged with nine counts of torture and 10 counts of child endangerment, with a court hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Authorities were alerted after one of the children, an emaciated, 17-year-old girl, called Police after escaping through a window of the house in Perris, 115 km east of Los Angeles.
The teen, who was so small that deputies initially thought she was 10 years old, showed them photographs that led them to believe her story so they went to the home to check on the family. .
“I appreciate the courage this juvenile had to escape that house and get out there and report this to law enforcement,” Riverside County Sherriff ’s Department Captain Greg Fellows said.
“[Police] noticed the children were malnourished. It was very dirty, and the conditions were horrific.”
Officers said they found three of the couple’s 13 children, who range in age from two to 29, shackled with chains and padlocks inside the dark, foul-smelling residence.
Captain Fellows said the investigation had so far found no indication of sexual abuse, but that the conditions amounted to torture.
The investigation, still in its early stages, has already begun to unravel a bizarre tale of a couple married 32 years who dressed their children alike, kept them away from outsiders and cut most of the boys’ hair in a style resembling that of their greying father.
The family had lived in Perris since 2014, and Police officers had never been to the residence previously for any reason, Captain Fellows said.