Hestrin said the siblings were “often not released from their chains to go to the bathroom” and were not allowed to shower a couple of times a year.
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This photo was posted to a Facebook page for “David-Louise Turpin” on July 10, 2016. The father was listed as principal of a day school at the same address. The couple also filed for bankruptcy in California in 2011 and were reportedly owed between $100,000 and $500,000 in debt. At that time, David Turpin worked as an engineer at Northrop Grumman.
Riverside County sheriff’s Capt. Greg Fellows said the mother was “perplexed” when deputies arrived at the family’s home.
Riverside County district attorney Mike Hestrin said the children were tied up with ropes by their parents, and restrained by chains and padlocks when one sibling managed to break free.
They looked to be malnourished and filthy, authorities said. Bail is set at $12 million per defendant, according to CBS News.
Their children were taken to the hospital and are now with adult and child protective services.
Rio Vista, Texas, is a town where nearly everyone knows one another, so there were stories of the weird couple that lived in a home just outside of town.
Roberto Gomez, who lives in the house behind the Turpins, said the family kept lights on inside the house at all hours but never seemed to come outside. The parents would buy food for themselves and allow the children to see the food, without letting the children eat.
All the children were allowed to do was write in their journals.
Brenda Taylor says her niece, Louise Turpin, grew up in West Virginia but left decades ago. Her son and daughter-in-law were “a good Christian family”, she said.
Inside the master bedroom closet, there were vents. The couple’s children joined them for the 2013 and 2015 renewals. There was so much stuff it was hard to walk inside.
He said: “They would march back and forth on the second story at night”. Fellows, however, said he had no information on any religious organization that may have played a role in the parents’ motives for the abuse of the children.
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“We are as hurt and shocked and angry and disappointed as everybody else”, Robinette said.
