'13 children held captive in their California home'

'13 children held captive in their California home'

A couple has been arrested after authorities found a dozen of their malnourished children held captive in their home, with one as young as two and some shackled to beds in the dark.

Authorities launched a torture probe and set bail at nine million dollars for the parents, after a 17-year-old girl escaped the house on Sunday and called the police on a cellphone she found in the house.

She was so "emaciated" that officers said they originally thought she was only 10 years old.

The 13 victims who had been held captive at the Perris, California home range in age from two to 29, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. They were not named.

"Further investigation revealed several children shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings, but the parents were unable to immediately provide a logical reason why their children were restrained in that manner," the statement added.

"Deputies located what they believed to be 12 children inside the house, but were shocked to discover that seven of them were actually adults, ranging in age from 18 to 29. The victims appeared to be malnourished and very dirty."

The sheriff's office said "the victims were provided with food and beverages after they claimed to be starving."

The parents, 57-year-old David Allen Turpin and 49-year-old Louise Anna Turpin, were booked on torture and child endangerment charges.

It must have been a full-time job each and every day for both of these people to conceal all this. How could people not have noticed something suspicious?

Wanderer78

Disturbing read, did they live in an isolated location?

Fann Linn

It will be interesting to see how many times health and social care officials called to this home over 29 years and found no problems!

Peregrinus

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Disturbing read, did they live in an isolated location?

Nope. They lived in a recently developed suburb.

Peregrinus

Deleted User wrote: »

It must have been a full-time job each and every day for both of these people to conceal all this. How could people not have noticed something suspicious?

Fann Linn wrote: »

It will be interesting to see how many times health and social care officials called to this home over 29 years and found no problems!

Early days yet, but we don't know how long this situation had been going on for. Various media reports have photographs of the family that look like they are culled from social media in which the children do not appear to be emaciated, dirty, etc. So it could be, for example, that this family were a bit weird but, basically, not criminal. But them something happened and things only spiralled into torture, imprisonment, starvation, etc relatively recently.

Reati

"the parents were unable to immediately provide a logical reason why their children were restrained in that manner"

What a bizarre line. What would be a logical reason to padlock and restrain children to beds in the dark in your house?

suicide_circus

The parents must me mentally unwell

Ush1

Brings to mind the Jaycee Lee Duggard case. Some truly evil people out there.

Hector Bellend

My parenting motto (for the kids I don't have) Is "little johnny always needs a good crack on the arse" when necessary.

I think they've taken this a little too far

Your Face

Deleted User wrote: »

It must have been a full-time job each and every day for both of these people to conceal all this. How could people not have noticed something suspicious?

I'm not having a go at the OP but abuses happening unseen in a close vicinity is not a shocker or uncommon.

seamus

Fann Linn wrote: »

It will be interesting to see how many times health and social care officials called to this home over 29 years and found no problems!

Very few I'd say.

The US system is very hands-off in terms of parenting. It's very easy to live "off the grid" and the state has no idea that you've even had children.

And the sad part is that there are some people who would say that's the way it should be and psychopaths like these people are just a rare exception.

Neighbours reported them as people who kept to themselves and only really came out to go do their shopping. In theory that alone should be enough to make people concerned, but how many of us have a neighbour that we'd only know to see when they emerge from their house, and otherwise know nothing about them?

Hector Savage

I blame Trump.

Hande hoche!

Shocking behaviour. Although yer man's haircut should have been a bit of a giveaway.

9or10

Fann Linn wrote: »

It will be interesting to see how many times health and social care officials called to this home over 29 years and found no problems!

From the Beeb

On the California Department of Education website, Mr Turpin is listed as the principal of Sandcastle Day School - a private school operated out of his home.
The school was opened in March 2011, the website says. Six pupils are enrolled there, all in different grades.
In California, private schools operate outside the jurisdiction of the education department and most regulations. They are directly accountable to students and their parents or guardians, and the state has no authority to monitor or evaluate them.
Teachers at private schools in California also do not need to hold a valid state teaching qualification.

seamus wrote: »

Neighbours reported them as people who kept to themselves and only really came out to go do their shopping. In theory that alone should be enough to make people concerned, but how many of us have a neighbour that we'd only know to see when they emerge from their house, and otherwise know nothing about them?

When we lived in the UK - commuter town - we saw one set of neighbours for the first time the day we left, and we lived there 16 years. Everyone just gets on with there own thing.

Skylinehead

Hector Savage wrote: »

I blame Trump.

Ah stop.

Billy86

I only saw this now, this one of the most shocking things I've seen in a long time, surprised it's only on 15 posts... it's basically Fritzl but on a whole different scale by the sounds of things?

What an appalling pair of scumbags, you'd have to wonder how 'normal' most of these kids/adults will ever... how ****ing evil can some people be?

Harry Palmr

Religious nutters.

Home schooling is a red flag. 90% + of homeschoolers are fundamental religious types who are often completely paranoid about their kids coming in contact with anything that might contradict their world view.

You can live in isolation while surrounded by people - many lonely old people will vouch for that. It doesn't surprise me that the neighbours had no clue.

whoopsadoodles

Not normally one to speculate but I've an awfully sick feeling that at least one of the younger children will turn out to be a child of the older ones and their father

Lollipops23

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

Not normally one to speculate but I've an awfully sick feeling that at least one of the younger children will turn out to be a child of the older ones and their father

it's pretty unlikely the ma gave birth at 46....

wakka12

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

Not normally one to speculate but I've an awfully sick feeling that at least one of the younger children will turn out to be a child of the older ones and their father

Youngest was two I believe and the mother is like late forties so unless they went and got IVF to get another baby to chain to the bed posts then that seems quite likely

whoopsadoodles

Lollipops23 wrote: »

it's pretty unlikely the ma gave birth at 46....

Having babies regularly up to that point mean it's far more likely you could be still giving birth at that age but the whole thing screams of incest to me. I hope I'm wrong.

whoopsadoodles

wakka12 wrote: »

Youngest was two I believe and the mother is like late forties so unless they went and got IVF to get another baby to chain to the bed posts then that seems quite likely

As per my post above. Someone having babies regularly would be likely to still be quite fertile at that age.

The photos of them online appear to have them looking quite healthy until recently enough although you couldn't argue they look like a normal family based on the pics.

TeaBagMania

Hector Savage wrote: »

I blame Trump.

not this time, the libtards run comifornia

Cookie_Monster

how the **** is that allowed?

On the California Department of Education website, Mr Turpin is listed as the principal of Sandcastle Day School - a private school operated out of his home.
The school was opened in March 2011, the website says. Six pupils are enrolled there, all in different grades.
In California, private schools operate outside the jurisdiction of the education department and most regulations. They are directly accountable to students and their parents or guardians, and the state has no authority to monitor or evaluate them.
Teachers at private schools in California also do not need to hold a valid state teaching qualification.

Such a blatant obvious route for abuse to occur, how can any sane country think something like that is acceptable?

Avatar MIA

wakka12 wrote: »

Youngest was two I believe and the mother is like late forties so unless they went and got IVF to get another baby to chain to the bed posts then that seems quite likely

Women can give birth mid forties, not unusual. She does looks a bit simple in the photo. Not that the two are related

But the home schooling seems to have been learning the Bible off by heart.

wakka12

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

As per my post above. Someone having babies regularly would be likely to still be quite fertile at that age.

The photos of them online appear to have them looking quite healthy until recently enough although you couldn't argue they look like a normal family based on the pics.

Oh interesting.
I doubt they were ever healthy..the sons and daughters who were in their mid and late 20's were all thought to be children when the police first arrived..and the 17 year old girl who escaped was mistaken for a ten year old when the police first met her at the station. That sounds like a lifetime of neglect and malnutrition to have such stunted development

And the mom was 49 not 46 some other poster said she was 46

Akrasia

I'd say these people became convinced that their kids were possessed by demons or some other crazy religious delusion.

How the f could anyone do that to their own children.

castletownman

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

As per my post above. Someone having babies regularly would be likely to still be quite fertile at that age.

The photos of them online appear to have them looking quite healthy until recently enough although you couldn't argue they look like a normal family based on the pics.

Well I saw pictures on the lunch-time news earlier of what appeared to be a family day out. And every one of them were wearing matching clothes. Like literally decked out as if they were part of an Olympic team during the opening ceremony. With #1, #2 etc printed on each individual kids top. Immediately screamed out to me as "religious nutjob parents" when I saw it.

The poor children couldn't have had any sort of life. The phrase "you never know what goes on behind closed doors" is particularly relevant here.

wakka12

I find it so hard to believe nobody noticed anything though. 14 people living in a suburban house is a very unique and noticeable thing in of itself. Surely at least one of the neighbours must have noticed that they never ever seen any of these 12 children outside at all anymore

Mutant z

Scumbags of the highest order.

MSVforever

Total scum and waste of oxygen. Should get the death penalty.

georgina toadbum

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

Not normally one to speculate but I've an awfully sick feeling that at least one of the younger children will turn out to be a child of the older ones and their father

This is exactly what I thought when I read it. *shudder*

RDM_83 again

Candie wrote: »

Home schooling is a red flag. 90% + of homeschoolers are fundamental religious types who are often completely paranoid about their kids coming in contact with anything that might contradict their world view.

Have you lived in the USA because if your making that statement about the UK/Ireland you don't have a clue as it's way way off.

It's generally harmless (potentially clueless) hippy dippy types who are about as far from the fundamentalist Christian bogeyman you can get.

Spanish Eyes

MSVforever wrote: »

Total scum and waste of oxygen. Should get the death penalty.

I do not agree with the death penalty. They will be given 40 years to life in an orange suit, that is a much more severe penalty for them.

And their children will live on and hopefully enjoy life and not have to visit them ever.

Could be happening on any street in fundie Christian America. And I agree, home schooling should be a big fkn red flag and require regular inspections. But this is America. Everyone is free to do what they want including killing people at will with guns everywhere.

They chose California carefully I think.

splinter65

castletownman wrote: »

Well I saw pictures on the lunch-time news earlier of what appeared to be a family day out. And every one of them were wearing matching clothes. Like literally decked out as if they were part of an Olympic team during the opening ceremony. With #1, #2 etc printed on each individual kids top. Immediately screamed out to me as "religious nutjob parents" when I saw it.

The poor children couldn't have had any sort of life. The phrase "you never know what goes on behind closed doors" is particularly relevant here.

Those t-shirts are replicas of the ones from “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr Seuss

splinter65

wakka12 wrote: »

I find it so hard to believe nobody noticed anything though. 14 people living in a suburban house is a very unique and noticeable thing in of itself. Surely at least one of the neighbours must have noticed that they never ever seen any of these 12 children outside at all anymore

At least one of the neighbors interviewed by news teams on the street outside the house claimed to have had suspicions, never saw the kids in the front yard, kids seemed very thin etc but don’t appear to have acted on those suspicions.
I’ve lived next door to some odd activity myself over the years but never raised any flags myself.

splinter65

9or10 wrote: »

From the Beeb



When we lived in the UK - commuter town - we saw one set of neighbours for the first time the day we left, and we lived there 16 years. Everyone just gets on with there own thing.

UK, especially the sth east, is a great place if you want to be private.

riffmongous

RDM_83 again wrote: »

Have you lived in the USA because if your making that statement about the UK/Ireland you don't have a clue as it's way way off.

It's generally harmless (potentially clueless) hippy dippy types who are about as far from the fundamentalist Christian bogeyman you can get.

For a long timd I never heard about it in Ireland to the point I thought it wasnt allowed here, but the first and only time I've read about a home school, they were exactly that, a crazy religious evangelical family.

Spanish Eyes

splinter65 wrote: »

At least one of the neighbors interviewed by news teams on the street outside the house claimed to have had suspicions, never saw the kids in the front yard, kids seemed very thin etc but don’t appear to have acted on those suspicions.
I’ve lived next door to some odd activity myself over the years but never raised any flags myself.

Problem is privacy laws, and if you get it wrong, you are vilified, so most people just stay schtum. Unless they have visible evidence of something, and even then it is very difficult to make a complaint.

I don't know what the solution is. But with all this Data Protection and privacy stuff it is no doubt difficult to raise a suspicion.

Terrible, and it is no doubt replicated in lots of places, thankfully this family is free, but may need years of therapy and beyond to be ok.

Unusual that relatives didn't visit either. They must have put on such a show in Disney and so on, cannot understand how someone of the thirteen didn't leg it there, but anyway, control can probably feck you up big time.

Add to that, the fact that this controlling parent set up who ostensibly were Fundamental Christians (surprise surprise) chose to renew their wedding vows with a plastic Elvis. Jaysis.

Ralf and Florian

They don't look at all nuts.

Spanish Eyes

Scary thing is it could be happening in lots of places.

The home schooling thing is a big flag. The children are not seen by anyone.

BattleCorp

riffmongous wrote: »

For a long timd I never heard about it in Ireland to the point I thought it wasnt allowed here, but the first and only time I've read about a home school, they were exactly that, a crazy religious evangelical family.

I know people from my town that were home schooled by their parents and they seem quite normal and certainly aren't religious nuts. The kids all did very well academically and are doing well in life.

Spanish Eyes

BattleCorp wrote: »

I know people from my town that were home schooled by their parents and they seem quite normal and certainly aren't religious nuts. The kids all did very well academically and are doing well in life.

But you obviously saw them and interracted with them to know this.

The case we are talking about had none of that.

BattleCorp

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

But you obviously saw them and interracted with them to know this.

The case we are talking about had none of that.

That's true but America isn't as sociable a place as here. There are millions of people over there who wouldn't know or interact with their neighbours. And I'd say there are millions more who barely even know what their neighbours look like.

It would be harder to get away with that carry on here but I can see how it could happen over there. People don't go poking their nose into other people's business lest they get it shot off.

Spanish Eyes

BattleCorp wrote: »

That's true but America isn't as sociable a place as here. There are millions of people over there who wouldn't know or interact with their neighbours. And I'd say there are millions more who barely even know what their neighbours look like.

It would be harder to get away with that carry on here but I can see how it could happen over there. People don't go poking their nose into other people's business lest they get it shot off.

To be fair, this family of fifteen people were not living out in the wilds either. They had neighbours next door judging by the pics I've seen.

I think it could happen here too no problem. The days of dropping into the neighbours is long gone now given the hours people have to work, and no one wants to interrupt other people's lives.

That's the way it is now. But I accept that maybe here it might be noticed, only because home schooling is not the norm and kids might be missed at school.

America is a strange place.

JP Liz V1

Ralf and Florian wrote: »

They don't look at all nuts.

Which is the mother father looks like Joan Bruton

Such despicable act by parents, those kids scarred for life

RDM_83 again

RDM_83 again wrote: »

Have you lived in the USA because if your making that statement about the UK/Ireland you don't have a clue as it's way way off.

It's generally harmless (potentially clueless) hippy dippy types who are about as far from the fundamentalist Christian bogeyman you can get.

I went to college and worked in California for years. While there's a huge amount of hippy types who homeschool there, the great majority of American homeschoolers are fundie religious types.

The only person I know in Ireland who homeschooled their kid said it was because they hated their kid having to conform to the rules of behaviour, but it was quite clearly because they hated getting up in the morning and sticking to a schedule.

I don't know why you think I'd be making the statement about Ireland when the case is in California.

splinter65

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Which is the mother father looks like Joan Bruton

Such despicable act by parents, those kids scarred for life

I think the police were implying that she’s a fruit loop.
She was “perplexed” as to why her kids shouldn’t be starving and chained to radiators.
That’s enough .

KKkitty

Did not one relation see the kids over the years and not think something was up? I kinda get why their neighbours said nothing though. That might come across as bad but some people once they go home leave stuff like that at the door. I still can't believe that some of the kids are in their 20's. They look half that.

Peregrinus

KKkitty wrote: »

Did not one relation see the kids over the years and not think something was up? . . .

Reportedly, the family was estranged from the kids grandparents (I don't know whether that was on the mother's side or the father's side) who lived in another state.