Remembering the disturbing story of the Turpin family

Before January 2018, nobody had ever heard of the Turpin family; however, in 2018, David and Louise Turpin, the parents of 13 children, soon became famous for one of the most shocking cases of child mistreatment in the United States.

The world was horrified when the Turpin family case came to light. The abuse that David and Louise Turpin subjected their 13 children, ages 2 to 29 to was ghastly.

Image: Screenshot ABC News Nightline, YouTube

The Turpin children may have never been saved if it wasn't for one of the siblings bravely escaping from her home which was more like a prison.

Image: Screenshot ABC News Nightline, YouTube

As reported by multiple news outlets, in January 2018, David and Louise's 17-year-old daughter Jordan Turpin had had enough of her parents' mistreatment of herself and her sibling.

Photo: Instagram@jordan_turpin

The brave teen escaped her home by jumping out of a window in the family's California home to call 911.

According to CNN, 17-year-old Jordan Turpin had planned the escape from her parents' home for over two years. Jordan got her hands on a deactivated cellphone she found in her house which she used to call for help.

Photo: Instagram@jordan_turpin

Per ABC News, Jordan Turpin called 911 and told the dispatcher that police needed to come and save her siblings, saying, "I just ran away from home. And we have abusing parents."

When the 911 dispatcher asked Jordan Turpin about the abuse her parents were subjecting the children to, Jordan responded with some frightening details.

"They hit us. They like to throw us across the room. They pull out our hair. They yank out our hair. My two little sisters right now are chained up," Turpin told the 911 operator.

Photo: screenshot, 60 Minutes Australia, YouTube

Thankfully, the 911 operator was quickly able to use the GPS from the cell phone Jordan was using to track her location, and after a 22-minute-long call, a police officer arrived at the Turpin family home.

According to ABC News, less than two hours after Jordan Turpin called 911, her parents were under arrest.

Once David and Louise Turpin were arrested and the story hit the media, the United States and the world learned about the extensive abuse and horrific living condition the Turpin parents subjected their children to.

Photo: Screenshot, ABC News, YouTube

Riverside Country district attorney Mike Hestrin  told CNN that the Turpin case was one of the “worst, most aggravated child abuse cases I have ever seen.”

The media soon dubbed the Turpin home, located in Perris, California, the 'house of horrors.' Furthermore, many were shocked and questioned how this family could fly under the radar for so long.

David and Louise Turpin raised their children in a highly controlled, abusive home. The children rarely were allowed outside and were supposedly 'homeschooled' although it seems the parents never attempted to educate their children.

Authorities said the kids had barely any knowledge of the outside world, did not know what medicine was, were only fed once a day, allowed one shower a year.

Photo: screenshot, 60 Minutes Australia, YouTube

CNN reported that the district attorney for the case, Mike Hestrin, said that the Turpin children  were sometimes tied up for “weeks or even months at a time.”

Several of David and Louise Turpin's 13 children lived this way for decades and the results on their health was devastating.

Photo: screenshot, 60 Minutes Australia, YouTube

According to a news report on the family by CNN, the police officers that first entered the Turpin home found the children so severely malnourished they did not even realize that one of the "kids" was actually a 29-year-old woman.

David and Louise's eldest daughter was so malnourished she looked like a child, her growth was stunted, and she weighed just 82 pounds or 37 kilos.

In addition, the police were disgusted by the living conditions the Turpin children were subjected to.

Photo: screenshot ABC, 20/20, YouTube

Several media outlets reported that the police stated that the carpets in the home were covered in faeces, as the parents did not even allow their children to use the toilet.

Photo: screenshot ABC, 20/20, YouTube

The Turpin children were given health care and counselling, and those that were minors were sent to live with foster families. Several of the Turpin kids were brave enough to testify in court against their parents.

CNN reported that one of David and Louise Turpin's sons, identified as John Doe Number 2, told the court, "I cannot describe in words what we went through growing up. Sometimes I still have nightmares of things that happened, such as my siblings being chained up or getting beaten."

Fortunately, one year after Jordan Turpin's daring escape, there was justice for the Turpin children. The court sentenced David and Louise Turpin to 25 years to life in prison. The Turpin parents pleaded guilty to torturing and holding their children captive for several years in their home.

As reported by several media outlets, Louise Turpin broke down in tears after being sentenced. She apologized to her family, saying, "I'm sorry for everything I've done to hurt my children. I love them more than they could ever imagine."

David Turpin also apologized but seemed less willing to truly acknowledged the gravity of his crimes, saying, "I thank God for all of my children," before adding that he was sorry "if I've done anything to cause them harm."

Prior to sentencing David and Louise Turpin, Judge Bernard Schwartz addressed the defendants. As reported by CNN, the judge spoke to the parents about their abusive treatment of the children saying, "Their lives have been permanently altered, and their ability to learn, grow and thrive. To the extent that if they do thrive … it will be not because of you both, but in spite of you both."