13 Victims Rescued In Perris Were Tortured For 'Prolonged Period'

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA -- The 13 Riverside County siblings who were rescued this weekend, some found bound and padlocked, are in stable condition after being abused for a "prolonged period of time," officials said at a Tuesday press conference. At least three of the children were found chained to furniture when deputies entered the Perris home on Sunday morning after one of their siblings, a 17-year-old who was so malnourished she looked as though she was just 10- years-old, officials said.

In total, there were 13 victims — all of whom are the biological children of 57-year old David Allen Turpin and 49-year old Louise Anna Turpin, who were arrested on charges of child endangerment and torture.

"If you can imagine being 17-years-old and appearing to be a 10-year old, being chained to a bed, being malnourished — I would call that torture," said Greg Fellows, captain for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. "I wish I could come to you with information to explain why this all happened."

Sophia Grant, medical director of child abuse and neglect unit at Riverside University Health System, said the victims were "malnourished for over a prolonged period of time."

"They, of course, will have growth stunting and nutritional deficiencies," Grant said. "As to why parents do this. I don't know."

Sad, horrible and crazy were just three of the words Perris neighbors used after learning a nearby home was home to 13 malnourished children. The neighborhood in Riverside County about 70 miles east of Los Angeles turned upside down Monday afternoon when deputies announced they made a shocking discovery: siblings, one as young as 2-years-old and all of whom appeared to be starving, living in a filthy home.

The entire family was taken to a sheriff's station, where the victims — who ranged in age from 2 to 29 — were fed while the parents were booked on charges of torture and child endangerment. Their bail was set at $9 million each.

Mark Uffer, CEO of the Corona Regional Medical Center, said Tuesday all the siblings are together as they recover from the abuse.

The news quickly made national headlines and spread across social media as people shared the ghastly discovery. But no one was more surprised than the neighbors in the quiet development.

Kimberly Milligan told KCAL the children looked "so pale."

"It's so sad, so horrible," Jennifer Luna told KCAL. "I can't believe this. I can't believe this."

Ricardo Ross told The Press-Enterprise, "It’s very shocking. Very devastating.”

While Andria Valdez told the newspaper, "They only came out at night. They were really, really pale.”

On social media, the Turpins painted a different picture than that described by sheriff's deputies on Monday. Photos that have surfaced on the Internet show a happy family with the children dressed in matching clothes. One photo shows the parents in wedding attire as their children are smiling beside them.

The image is what David Turpin's parents, James and Betty Turpin, believed to be true.

James and Betty Turpin told ABC News "they hadn't seen their son and daughter-in-law since visiting them in California some four to five years ago.

"However, they said they have kept in touch with them by phone since," ABC News reported. "They told ABC News they had not spoken to their grandchildren, saying David Turpin or his wife would often call when they were without the children, who are homeschooled."

News reports say the children were home-schooled at what David Turpin registered as Sandcastle Day School, which was founded in 2014.

David and Louise Turpin are expected to appear in court Thursday.

--Booking photos via Riverside County Sheriff's Department

Also See:

Riverside County Parents Accused Of Torturing Their 13 Children