WASHINGTON – An emaciated 17-year-old girl escaped a home in Perris,California, early Sunday morning where she had been held captive alongsideher 12 brothers and sisters in filthy conditions, according to police.
Authorities arrived at the home to find several children shackled to bedswith chains and padlocks, “in dark and foul-smelling” conditions, theRiverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
The parents, David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, have beenarrested on charges of torture and child endangerment. Their bail is set at$9 million each. They were “unable to immediately provide a logical reason”why their children were shackled and chained, authorities said.
Sheriff deputies were “shocked” to discover that seven of the “children” inthe home were actually adults, according to the news release. The ages ofthe 13 victims ranged from 2 to 29. They appeared malnourished and dirty,and told authorities they were starving.
The girl who escaped managed to call police on a cellphone she found in thehome. “She appeared to be only 10 years old and slightly emaciated,” thesheriff’s department said in their news release.
Authorities interviewed the children and provided them with food and drink.The six minors were taken to a hospital and admitted for treatment, thesheriff’s department said. The seven older children were taken to adifferent medical center and also admitted for treatment.
Louise Anna Turpin and David Allen Turpin were booked on torture and childendangerment charges.David Turpin is listed in a state Department of Education directory as theprincipal of Sandcastle Day School, a private K-12 school that he ran fromthe couple’s home. The school opened in 2011, according to the directory.
According to public records, the couple own the home and have lived theresince 2010. They previously lived in Texas for many years, and have twicedeclared bankruptcy.
One of their bankruptcy lawyers, Nancy Trahan, said in a phone interviewMonday evening that she met with the couple about four or five times in2011, but hasn’t seen them since then. She described the couple as “justvery normal.”
“They seemed like very nice people,” Trahan said. “They spoke often andfondly of their children.”
She did not recall hearing about a school run from their home.
“I just hope those kids are OK,” Trahan said. “I wouldn’t have seen itcoming.”
The couple’s neighborhood is a new development of ranch-style homes locatedabout 70 miles east of Los Angeles.
Kimberly Milligan, 50, who lives across the street, told the Los AngelesTimes she only occasionally saw the children leave the home to get into acar with their parents.
The children were very pale, Milligan said. She frequently wondered why themany children never came outside to play.
“I thought the kids were home-schooled,” she told the Times. “You knowsomething is off, but you don’t want to think bad of people.”
David Turpin’s parents, James and Betty Turpin of West Virginia, told ABCNews they are “surprised and shocked” at the allegations. They said theirgrandchildren are home-schooled. They said they hadn’t seen their son anddaughter-in-law in four or five years.
Photos on a Facebook page that appeared to be created by the parents showedthe couple at Disneyland with the children wearing matching shirts. Severalphotos appeared to be taken at a wedding ceremony. The parents posed inbride and groom attire, surrounded by 10 female children smiling for thecamera in matching purple plaid dresses and white shoes. Three malechildren stood behind them wearing suits.