Parents are willing to do anything for their children’s pleasure because they care about them so deeply. When their parents are around, children feel the safest. But did you know that there is one family who has wrecked the bond between parents and children?
For years, David and Louise Turpin mistreated their 13 biological children; only one daughter eventually managed to flee and alert the authorities. The occurrence happened in January 2018. You will get chills from reading about their story.
Table Of Content
- 1 What you need to know about the Turpin case is provided here.
- 2 The House of Horrors
- 3 The Turpin Couple Background
- 4 The Beginning of the Abuse
- 5 The Arrival of Police
- 6 Where are the Turpin Parents Now?
- 7 Things You Didn’t Know About the Turpin Family
- 8 Hospital Members and Staff Teared Up after Seeing the Condition of the Children
- 9 The Turpin Siblings Never saw the Outside World
- 10 They had a Disturbed Routine
- 11 No Medical Facilities were Provided to the Children
- 12 The Children Were Allowed to Write Journals
- 13 The Turpin House was Auctioned
- 14 Prosecutors Called it the Worst Case Ever
- 15 There is a Documentary on the Turpin Family Incident
- 16 The Children are Rebuilding their Lives
What you need to know about the Turpin case is provided here.
The House of Horrors
The thirteen children of David and Louise Turpin were raised in a tightly controlled atmosphere. The abuse was so severe that when the media searched their house and learned what the kids had to put up with for years, they gave it the moniker “house of horrors.”
Jordan Turpin, their daughter, was 17 when she was able to climb out of the window of their home in an effort to save the lives of all 12 of her siblings. After decades of physical, mental, and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents in their Perris, California home, Jordan had been preparing her escape for two years. She was using an ancient cellphone when she made her getaway. She sprinted away, dialled 911, and described the horrific tale of the abuse.
The Turpin Couple Background
In West Virginia, David Turpin was born, raised, and had a bright future. He earned an engineering degree from Virginia Tech University and went on to have a fruitful career. David held executive roles at prestigious American companies after specialising in computer engineering. 2012 saw his retirement. He had a fruitful academic and professional career, but in 2011 he declared bankruptcy because of credit card debt.
His broad Louis Turpin was a stay-at-home mom. Louis was raised in a violent home during her early years. Her sister disclosed that their maternal grandfather routinely mistreated the siblings and their cousin in exchange for money. The sister said that Louis quickly developed an obsession with booze and even engaged in witchcraft and a number of lewd rituals. Her siblings, on the other hand, had no idea that they would maltreat and hurt their offspring.
The Beginning of the Abuse
Initially residing in Fort Worth, the Turpin Family relocated to Rio Vista in 1999. The couple initially began neglecting and abandoning their children as forms of abuse. It quickly evolved into longer, more brutal sessions of torture. They spent a few years in Rio Vista before relocating to California in 2010.
When asked about the pair, the neighbours had nothing positive to say. They reportedly discovered dead animals, garbage, and faeces all around their house. After their family vacated their second houses, some neighbours discovered ropes fastened to mattresses. In their California house, the couple persisted in abusing their kids. The children were denied access to food, fundamental hygiene, medical treatment, and education.
The siblings were only permitted to eat once per day and take baths once per year, according to their oldest sister, Jennifer. According to reports, they went hungry as the pair indulged in fast food. When the youngsters even suggested stealing food from their parents, they were severely punished.
Both parents beat the kids severely and punished them for the slightest of offences. When one of her brothers ever tried to enter her bedroom, Louise shoved them down the stairs while their father beat them with wood and belts till they bled.
The Arrival of Police
Jordan already had photographic proof when she fled her home to call the police about their tragedy. The photos were stored on a covert cell phone. During a welfare check, the police found more at their residence than what was shown in the photographic evidence.
The kids were underweight, the police discovered. Some of them even had chains around them. The interior of the room was really dirty. According to the reports, the kids were made to live amongst such squalor, which included rotting food, decomposing trash, and the smell and sight of faeces.
They also displayed obvious symptoms of hunger and mistreatment. Some of the siblings lacked maturity. None of them had any independence or relationships with anyone but their sinister parents. All of the kids were sent for medical evaluation by the police. Many of them had suffered long-term abuse at the hands of their children, which had left them physically and mentally damaged.
Where are the Turpin Parents Now?
The story of this horrific occurrence flashed around the globe after the authorities broke into the Turpin residence. In their articles, the media mentioned several aspects of the incident. The pair was detained by the police and first entered a plea of not guilty to the 14 felony charges brought against them; however, the following year, they altered their plea to guilty.
The Turpin couple was given a lifelong sentence, but there is a 25-year window for release. During one of the hearings, Louise Turpin expressed her regret for whatever had been done to her children and apologised for her behaviour.
One of the kids forgiven their parents, and some of them are even allowed to go visit them behind bars. But about ten of them had restraining orders against the pair in place for a decade.
Things You Didn’t Know About the Turpin Family
Hospital Members and Staff Teared Up after Seeing the Condition of the Children
The other kids were set free after one of the siblings managed to escape. After being assessed, they were taken to the hospital. The medical team mistook their patients for children and were shocked to learn that several siblings had already reached adulthood.
The 13 kids were all severely delayed in their development. One of the staff members claimed they had never witnessed anything as heinous as the mistreatment these kids endured.
The Turpin Siblings Never saw the Outside World
The kids were too young to experience the outside world during any of their formative years. They were not permitted to leave the house or play with children their age. Even worse, they skipped school. All of the kids were homeschooled by their father.
They had a Disturbed Routine
Investigators noted that the siblings had an irregular lifestyle. They were asleep during the day and awake at night. Usually, they would go to bed about 4-5 am.
No Medical Facilities were Provided to the Children
The Turpin kids weren’t permitted to go to school or play with other kids, and they weren’t allowed to go to hospitals. The children were all born in hospitals, and none of them even went to the dentist or a doctor thereafter. They were given toys by the couple, but they forbade the children from playing with them. Even children who took toys out of their box would receive a beating from them.
The Children Were Allowed to Write Journals
The Turpin siblings were subjected to such beatings and tortures, but their parents did tolerate one thing. The choice to keep journals was theirs. Numerous journals were discovered by the police during their search of the Turpin home, serving as important case-related evidence. These diaries served as the key to unlocking the mysteries of the mansion.
The Turpin House was Auctioned
The Turpin family home was sold at an online auction on December 29, 2018. The selling price was $310,360. The residence had a 2,386 square foot size. 3 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms were present. The property was appraised by Riverside County, and the entire sale was based on a foreclosure. There is currently no information available regarding the new owner of the family home.
Prosecutors Called it the Worst Case Ever
The court in the Turpin case remarked that what the parents did to their children was cruel, inhumane, and selfish. Prosecutors called it the worst case ever. Even the prosecutors could not help but refer to the Turpin case as the worst case they had ever handled. They claimed that this was the worst instance of child abuse and neglect they had ever seen.
The decision was made to guarantee that the kids wouldn’t testify in court after the trauma they had experienced. The victims had allegedly already been subjected to severe abuse and torture, according to the authorities. It’s excessive to receive international attention for something they could only hope to forget.
There is a Documentary on the Turpin Family Incident
The documentary about the Turpin family case is hosted by journalist Soledad O’Brien, a recipient of an Emmy Award. You can learn more about the couple’s and their kids’ tale by watching this movie. The journalist followed the family’s experiences in the past and now and clarified any remaining mysteries. You may watch the documentary for free on YouTube.
The Children are Rebuilding their Lives
The kids are currently working to create a happy and rational existence from scratch after being saved in 2018. They are moving in the right direction, according to the district attorney. According to some sources, the majority of the adult Turpin siblings live independently. They are attempting to maintain their independence while caring for their bodily and emotional well-being.
One of the worst things that could have happened to a youngster during their formative years is the entire Turpin Family affair. We send our best wishes for complete physical, mental, and emotional recovery to all thirteen Turpin siblings.
Being a binge-watcher himself, finding Content to write about comes naturally to Divesh. From Anime to Trending Netflix Series and Celebrity News, he covers every detail and always find the right sources for his research.