Tortured California Siblings Allowed to Eat Once a Day, Shower Twice a Year

Details about the 13 siblings who were held captive and kept shackled to their bed in Perris, California were only allowed to eat one meal per day and shower only twice per year a new report from NBC News reveals. 

Law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case told NBC the the brown and beige house was a virtual prison with the rooms inside filled with urine. Some of the children were chained to furniture inside the house officials said. 

All 13 siblings were admitted to local hospitals for severe malnutrition. Doctors say they are receiving antibiotics, vitamins and nutrients after concerns they could go into shock from being so malnourished. The siblings' mental health will also be evaluated after their physical conditions improve.

Their parents, David Allen Turpin and Louise Turpin are currently being held on $9 million bail and are expected to appear in court later this afternoon. Investigators are trying to determine whether religion played a part in the siblings' imprisonment and alleged torture. Officials say the parents face possible torture and child endangerment charges. 

The Perris House of Horrors was discovered late Sunday afternoon after one of the siblings, a 17-year-old girl, managed to escape through a window and call 911 with a cellphone taken from the home. 

"Further investigation revealed several children shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings, but the parents were unable to immediately provide a logical reason why their children were restrained in that manner,” the department said in a statement.

Detectives say they were shocked to discover the ages of the emaciated children, several of whom, were actually adults ranging in age from 18-29. 

Photo: Riverside County Sheriff's Department


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