California police was shocked when a 17-year-old girl called them and gave a tip-off about her 12 siblings who were being tortured by their parents. Following her lead, police discovered the victims, ranging in age from two to 29, malnourished and very dirty and some of them chained to beds.
The parents, 57-year-old David Allen Turpin and 49-year-old Louise Anna Turpin, were immediately arrested and charged with nine counts of torture and 10 counts of child endangerment with bail set at $9 million.
The family was residing in a Spanish-style stucco house located in a middle-class neighborhood of Perris, which is about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Authorities later went through a Facebook page under the name of David-Louise Turpin which had pictures of the couple with their 10 children attending various functions from 2011 to 2016.
The worst shock came to their neighbors. Jamelia Adams said it is heart-breaking to see a brand new house with newer cars in the yard disclosing six minor children and seven adults held captive and malnourished. Another neighbor said that they had seen a couple of teenagers mowing the lawn and putting some Christmas decorations last year. The parents had previously filed for bankruptcy, reported US media.
According to state records, David Turpin headed a private school but its address matched that of the Turpins' home. The school, which was opened in March 2011, has six students, reported the latest state education department data. The court papers revealed that they went bankrupt twice.
