In 2018, Jordan Turpin Escaped Her California Home And Called Attention To The Despicable Abuse That Was Occurring To Her And Her 12 Siblings Behind Closed Doors: Here’s Where The “House Of Horrors” Survivor Is Now
From 2018 to 2019, you may have seen the Turpin family in headlines, as their case was one of that year’s most shocking true crime cases.
In California, in January 2018, one of the 13 children belonging to David and Louise Turpin ran away from home to call the police for help, alerting them that she and her siblings had been abused, starved, and chained to their beds by their parents.
That child was Jordan Turpin, the now 23-year-old woman who has become one of the major faces of the Turpin case as many say her brave escape and phone call to the police was what saved her and her siblings from the wrath of David and Louise.
David and Louise were Pentecostal Christians who married in Virginia in 1985 and began having children, starting with their eldest daughter, Jennifer, who is now in her early 30s. They had 12 more children and moved around the south, slowly losing contact with relatives, before settling in Perris, California.
The Turpin children grew up in a “house of horrors,” as the children were strictly kept inside their home for most of the day, receiving little education and suffering from abuse. They were not sent to school, prohibited from making friends within their community, and lived in fear of David and Louise, who mentally and physically abused them.
David and Louise kept their children sheltered from the world, often imprisoning them and chaining them to their beds. They were given hardly any food and sometimes had to resort to starving or trying to make a meal out of condiments and ice.
The Turpin children were also forced to live in toxic environments, as their homes were often covered in garbage, human and animal waste, and dead or living rodents. Additionally, they were reportedly only able to bathe once a year.
David and Louise would take the children on rare public outings, often dressing them in matching outfits, forcing them to wear smiles to appear to be a happy, functional family. However, the children were told not to talk to strangers in public. If they did, they’d be punished.
As Jordan got older, she and her siblings began planning a way to escape over two years. One of her older brothers had an emergency cell phone that could only call 911. On the night of January 14th, 2018, after two of her little sisters had been chained to their beds, she carefully snuck out of her house with the cell phone and an envelope with her house address on it to give to the police as she didn’t know it by heart.
Anastasia – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
After sneaking down the block, Jordan contacted the police, who were eventually able to track her down, find her, and confront David and Louise, who became defensive as soon as they saw police officers at their door.
After raiding the Turpin home for a welfare check, police were shocked by the horrible conditions of the house and the Turpin children.
David and Louise were arrested and charged with 12 counts of torture, 12 counts of false imprisonment, seven counts of abuse of a dependent adult, and six counts of child abuse. In 2019, they were both sentenced to life imprisonment.
All of the Turpin children spent several months in the hospital to receive treatment for their deteriorating health after their parents were arrested and they were rescued. The six siblings, who were minors at the time, were placed into foster care.
Many of the Turpin siblings remained anonymous following their parents’ arrest, while Jordan and Jennifer were the two siblings to show their faces to the media the most and tell their stories.
Jordan, who could hardly speak to police officers the night she escaped her parents’ abuse, is now a popular influencer on TikTok and exploring a career as a motivational speaker.
While she’s still trying to cope with her awful childhood trauma, she’s now living in a new home with loving pets and launched a clothing line called “Braveness.” She still visits and takes fun trips with her siblings, embracing and adjusting to their independence.
Jordan’s been featured in magazines and on several television shows, sharing her story with news outlets and serving as a role model for those who have survived abusive relationships.
We hope things only continue to get better for the Turpin children, and we’re sending them lots of healing and happy vibes this holiday season.
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