The Turpin Children Case: The House Of Horror to 13 Children
- Strange Case Files
- Mar 15
- 4 min read
For years, David and Louise Turpin presented themselves as a quiet homeschooling family. Inside their Perris, California home, 13 children were being isolated, starved, and controlled until one daughter escaped and called 911.
The Turpin Children Case Explained
David and Louise Turpin had 13 children and, on the surface, projected the image of a deeply religious family. David was listed as the principal of Sandcastle Day School, a private school operated from the home. That image helped create the appearance of structure and normalcy.
But the family also appeared in public at carefully controlled moments. David and Louise renewed their vows in Las Vegas multiple times, including ceremonies in 2011, 2013, and 2015, with the children present. Those public appearances became one of the most unsettling parts of the case because they stood in sharp contrast to what prosecutors later said was happening inside the home.
The Escape
On January 14, 2018, 17-year-old Jordan Turpin escaped from the family’s Perris home through a window and called 911 using a deactivated cellphone, which can still place emergency emergency calls. She told the dispatcher that her siblings were being abused and that some were tied up inside the house.
When Riverside County deputies arrived at the home on Muir Woods Road, they found 13 siblings ranging in age from 2 to 29. Several were severely malnourished. Some had been shackled to beds. Authorities later said some of the adult siblings looked much younger because of long-term starvation and developmental delay.
What Investigators Found
Inside the house, investigators found extreme neglect. Reporting and court-backed summaries described filthy conditions, garbage throughout the residence, foul odors, and children living in severe deprivation. Prosecutors said the siblings had been starved, denied normal education, isolated from the outside world, and subjected to physical and emotional abuse over many years.
Some of the victims were still minors. Others were legally adults, but prosecutors treated them as dependent adults because they remained under total parental control. One of the most widely reported details was that the oldest sibling discovered in the home weighed just 82 pounds.
The Case Against David and Louise Turpin
After the rescue, David and Louise Turpin were arrested and charged. Authorities also accused David Turpin of filing false affidavits with the California Department of Education claiming the children were receiving full-time education through Sandcastle Day School. He was later charged with perjury in connection with those filings.
In February 2019, both David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts each: one count of torture, four counts of false imprisonment, six counts of cruelty to an adult dependent, and three counts of willful child cruelty. Riverside County prosecutors said the plea ensured admissions to crimes involving 12 victims included in the charged counts.
Sentencing
On April 19, 2019, both parents were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The plea agreement meant the children did not have to testify in a full public trial. During sentencing, some of the siblings addressed the court, making clear that the damage went far beyond what could be captured in photos, weights, or criminal charges.
Life After the Rescue
For many people following the case, the sentencing looked like the end of the story. It was not.
After the children were removed from the home, they were hospitalized and placed into care. In the years that followed, some of the siblings said they were not given the support the public assumed they would receive. Reporting later described problems involving access to donated money, supervision, services, and housing stability. An outside review later concluded that the siblings had, at times, been failed by the very system meant to help them recover.
Abuse in Foster Care
Some of the younger Turpin siblings were later placed with the Olguin family in Perris. That placement led to another criminal case. In 2024, foster father Marcelino Olguin was sentenced to seven years in state prison, while Rosa Olguin and Lennys Olguin received probation after guilty pleas in a child abuse case involving foster children in their care, including some of the Turpin siblings.
That later case changed the way many people understood the Turpin story. The siblings had survived one abusive environment only to have some of them placed into another.
Settlement and Aftermath
In February 2026, Riverside County and ChildNet reached a $13.5 million settlement with six of the Turpin siblings over the foster placement and post-rescue failures. According to the settlement reporting, Riverside County agreed to pay $2.25 million and ChildNet agreed to pay $11.25 million.
County officials have since said changes were made to improve outcomes in child welfare investigations and placements. Even so, the Turpin case remains a stark example of both hidden family abuse and institutional failure after intervention.
Where David and Louise Turpin Are Now
David and Louise Turpin remain imprisoned in California under sentences of 25 years to life. Their first parole eligibility comes only after 25 years, and parole is not automatic.
Case Facts
Location: Perris, California
Year Discovered: 2018
Victims: 13 Turpin children
Responsible: David Turpin and Louise Turpin
Outcome: Both pleaded guilty in 2019 and were sentenced to 25 years to life; later civil action followed over failures in foster placement and post-rescue care.
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