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In this article, Anna Walker reports on the haunting story of the Turpin family and the tragedies that the children faced while living within the house.
The Turpin Family
The Turpin Family
By Anna Walker
By Anna Walker
The Turpins: seen in photos at Disneyland or Las Vegas. Though they had many children, 13 in fact, they were what is generally considered a normal family. In photos and to outsiders, they were normal. But on the inside when the doors were shut, it became “hell”, according to Jennifer Turpin, one of the older Turpin children.
Image from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42701311
Image from;https://woay.com/david-turpin-kidnapped-then-girlfriend-from-a-princeton-high-school-so-they-could-elope/
The children ranged from 2 years old all the way up to 29 years old. The older of the children attended public school until third grade, when their parents removed them to be “homeschooled” but, in reality, the children were not learning anything at all. The children all lacked a basic education, which showed through in their speech. 12 out of the 13 children faced torture, beatings, being chained up/encaged, and starved the majority of their lives. When they were finally rescued, “An 11-year-old child was so malnourished that her arm circumference was the equivalent of a 4-and-a-half month old baby, investigators said,” according to ABC News. The children were also extremely dirty from not bathing in over a month. Many of the children were chained to their beds for trying to steal food out of desperation.
Though the children were extremely isolated, Jordan Turpan, 17 years old, now 21, found one of her parent’s old phones and, out of curiosity, discovered a whole new world, a world where her experiences are not normal. And she found Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber’s videos were the main videos she watched. Jordan Turpin even stated in an interview with ABC News, “I don’t know where we would be if we didn’t watch Justin Bieber… I started realizing that there is a whole different world out there… I wanted to experience that.'' Jordan also would post things on Youtube, when her parents were away. One day, someone asked her why all her videos were inside at night. In response, Jordan explained her situation. He told her, “This isn’t right, you should call the cops.'' Jordan then said in an interview with ABC News, “I was so happy to hear him say that because I was like, ‘I was right. I was right that this situation is bad.’’ That to Jordan was what she needed to hear to start planning her escape.
Image from; https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/perris-house-of-horrors-where-are-they-now/2763922/
Image from: https://abc7ny.com/turpin-family-jordan-house-of-horrors-children/11261904/
In Jan. 2018, Jordan and her sisters started coming up with an escape plan. They decided the best idea was to climb out the window and call 911. Jordan’s older sister, Jennifer, now 33, drew out a map of the neighborhood from her memory and said, “So I gave her all the advice I knew, all the advice I could.” Jennifer also told Jordan to get proof and take pictures of their younger siblings, who were currently chained up for stealing food from their parents. On Jan. 14, 2018, Jordan put her plan into action. She propped up pillows in her bed to make it look like she was there sleeping. Then, she grabbed her pre-packed bag and jumped out the window. She then ran, not knowing where to go. She was running in the middle of the road because she says, “I didn't even know about the sidewalks.” Then, she stopped and pulled out her phone to call 911. She remembers, "I was trying to dial 911, but I couldn't even get my thumb to press the buttons because I was shaking so bad." When she finally got to the dispatcher, she was told to stay where she was.
Deputy Anthony Colace responded to the call. After Jordan told the deputy her story, he asked for photo proof. When he saw the photos, he instantly knew he had to do something. Then, according to ABC News, “Colace asked if Jordan was injured, and she asked what "injured" meant. He further explained to ask if she was hurt. She said no. He also asked her if she was on medication and she explained she didn’t know what “ ‘medication’ meant.”
Image from: https://www.abc57.com/news/turpin-parents-facing-more-charges-in-case-of-abused-children
After calling for backup, the police knocked on the door and started their “welfare” check. That's when they found the two girls in the photos and, according to ABC News, “In another bedroom, police found a boy with thick chains on his wrists and ankles, tied to a bed railing. He had been there for a month or more, investigators said.” David and Louise Turpin were arrested on scene. They pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and torture and in 2019, were sentenced to 25 years to life. The children were immediately rushed to the hospital. The younger of the children were put in foster care and the older ones were given public guardians to help them back on their feet. As for Jordan, she got her high school diploma in one year and wants to have children so she can give them a better childhood than she had.
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