California authorities say they have rescued more than a dozen starving, filthy young people who were chained inside their parents’ home in Perris.
One of the captives, a 17-year-old girl, escaped over the weekend and notified the Riverside Sheriff’s Department that her siblings “were being held captive inside the residence by her parents,” some of them “bound with chains and padlocks,” the Sheriff’s Department said.
Initially, officials believed the “slightly emaciated” teenager was only 10 years old. They confronted a horrific scene at her home, according to a press release.
“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.
“The victims appeared to be malnourished and very dirty,” the department said.
Not all of them were children: of the 13 victims, seven were between the age of 18 and 29, according to the Sheriff's Department.
After interviewing both parents — identified as 57-year old David Allen Turpin and 49-year old Louise Anna Turpin — authorities arrested them on torture and child endangerment charges, setting bail at $9m (£6.5m) apiece.
California records indicate that a David Turpin received state approval to open a private school, the Sandcastle Day School, on the same block where the siblings were found. A representative for the California Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
