Inside the Turpin ‘Horror House’ as young survivors reveal ongoing struggles

In a heartbreaking first interview, two siblings of the Turpin family, who live in Perris, California, revealed the abuse they faced at the hands of their own parents.

Jordan Turpin, 22, and her sister, Jennifer Turpin, 33, disclosed graphic accounts of the atrocities they endured while residing in their parents’ house, during their conversation with Diane Sawyer for ABC.

When the police first approached the house, a 17-year-old girl named Jordan made a life-changing phone call to the authorities in 2018. She informed them that there was moldy food, feces, and urine smeared against the walls, and the rooms were filled with loads of trash.

In one of the filthy bedrooms, cops discovered two frail girls, bruised and caked in dirt. However, the most disturbing visage was.

In the footage from the body camera, a police officer can be heard addressing the individuals as “Hi sweetheart. Hi girls. May I examine your wrists?”. The officer reassures them, saying “We are here to assist you.”

The video revealed police officers rushing to release him while apprehending the parents and inquiring about the location of the key to the restraints. In a separate room, a young boy can be observed bound to a bed, where he had been confined for an extended period.

On January 14th, 2018, Jordan informed Sawyer about the emergency call she placed. Additionally, I disclosed all the details regarding our dire circumstances such as our deprivation of basic necessities, living in unsanitary conditions, and being deprived of education.

The Turpin family home, located in Perris, Calif., has since been renovated and sold off in an auction.
The Turpin family home, located in Perris, Calif., has since been renovated and sold off in an auction.
Realtor.com/ABC News/2020
A view of some of the items that were inside the home at the time cops raided the Turpin home on January 17, 2018.
A view of some of the items that were inside the home at the time cops raided the Turpin home on Jan. 14, 2018.
RadarOnline.com/Coleman-Rayner
Riverside County Sheriff department comb the Perris, CA, house owned by David and Louise Turpin for evidence, after a raid revealed their 13 sons and daughters aged between two and 29 had been held there and malnourished.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department comb the Perris, Calif., house owned by David and Louise Turpin for evidence after a raid revealed their 13 sons and daughters aged between 2 and 29 had been held there and malnourished.
RadarOnline.com/Coleman-Rayner

If we had left, I would make sure that I didn’t go back because we will get the help we need and if we went back there’s no way I would be sitting right here now.

The house has undergone a significant transformation.

It was listed up for auction and sold “as is” in March 2019 for $270,500 in a foreclosure deal, property records show.

In March 2020, at the onset of the worldwide health emergency, it was briefly promoted for rent at a monthly price of $2,600.

A view of the open floor plan.
The home has since been renovated and updated. Here is a view of the home’s current open floor plan.
Realtor.com
The living room and dining area.
The living room and dining area.
Realtor.com
One of the rooms, which had been a former bedrooms, has been transformed into an office.
One of the rooms, which had been a former bedroom, has been transformed into an office.
Realtor.com
The primary bedroom.
The primary bedroom.
Realtor.com
The primary bathroom.
The primary bathroom.
Realtor.com

Consisting of four bedrooms and three bathrooms, the house covers an area of 2,300 square feet.

The previous listing states that the one-level home features a covered patio, quartz countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, and brand-new wood laminate flooring throughout, along with numerous enhancements. Additionally, it highlights the open floor plan with high ceilings.

The residence has also been wired with an alarm and a surround sound system and has a three-car garage with epoxy flooring.

One of four bedrooms.
One of four bedrooms.
Realtor.com
One of three bathrooms.
One of three bathrooms.
Realtor.com
Another bedroom.
Another bedroom.
Realtor.com
The garage.
The garage.
Realtor.com

The Turpin family relocated to the residence in 2014 for a buying cost of $351,000.

The severely mistreated brothers and sisters, ranging in age from 2 to 29, were brought to a hospital, where they received nourishment and compassionate assistance. Jennifer Turpin expressed that it marked the initial occasion when she experienced a sense of liberation.

“At the hospital, music was playing and I stood up … And danced,” she recalled.

Louise and David Turpin pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts of false imprisonment, torture, and related charges in February 2019, and were later sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Despite being rescued from a squalid home in California three years ago, where they were chained, beaten, and starved, the Turpin kids are still struggling today to start fresh and begin a new life, which is what should’ve happened after such a shocking turn of events.

Jennifer and Jordan Turpin say they endured years of beatings, verbal abuse, and starvation as virtual prisoners in their parentsÕ home, even contemplating suicide before finally breaking out, according to newly revealed details.
Jennifer (left) and Jordan Turpin say they endured years of beatings, verbal abuse and starvation as virtual prisoners in their parents’ home, even contemplating suicide before finally breaking out, according to newly revealed details.
(ABC News/2020)

During the interview with Sawyer, Jordan exposed how the system let them down after their parents were imprisoned for life, leading them to constantly move from one couch to another without a stable home.

After the interview, Jordan stated that she was suddenly discharged from extended foster care without any prior notice, and she expressed her current struggle to find a means of obtaining food.

Five of the younger children also resided in foster care, where allegations of child mistreatment were uncovered.

ABC informed Mike Hestrin, the district attorney of Riverside County who handled the case against David and Louise Turpin, that “The system has once again subjected them to further victimization.”

He continued, “The worst case of child abuse that I have ever seen is unimaginable to me. If we don’t come together to provide them with basic needs, then we would not be able to help them.”

Mugshots of David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin.
Mugshots of David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin.
Riverside County Sheriff Department

Both the grown-up and underage offspring of David Turpin and his spouse have faced challenges since they were saved.

Requests such as when 29-year-old Joshua Turpin asked for a bicycle to have means of transportation were refused. Some people are questioning why certain appeals, like when 29-year-old Joshua Turpin requested a bicycle for transportation, were denied. Riverside County authorities declined to give ABC any details regarding the trust established for the Turpin siblings or disclose the amount of money distributed to them. Moreover, the siblings have encountered difficulties in accessing the $600,000 donated by unknown individuals to assist them following their parents’ arrest.

“If we are unable to offer assistance to the Turpin victims,” Hestrin added, “then how can we expect to offer assistance to anyone else?”.