A 17-year-old girl escaped from her Perris, California, home to call police and lead them back to arrest her parents after they discovered a house full of horrors.
According to local California law enforcement officials, they discovered 13 children who were malnourished to the point that some appeared much younger than their actual age. Others were chained to their beds.
The girl was so malnourished that police believed she was 10 years old when they first encountered her.
Police say they found "several children shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings."
The statement also said that the parents "were unable to immediately provide a logical reason why their children were restrained in that manner."
Of the other children, police say they believed they were all underage, but discovered that some were above 18 years old, but were emaciated to the point that they looked much younger.
The couple were identified as David Turpin, 57, and Louise Turpin, 49. They were arrested on suspicion of torture and child endangerment. They are each being held on $9 million bail in Riverside county.
The children told police they were "starving." They have been sent to local hospitals for treatment.
Several media trucks have gathered near the house where the alleged abuse took place in Perris. @pressenterprise pic.twitter.com/DZ0StIWoTB
— Shane Newell (@journoshane) January 15, 2018
This is the #Perris #California home where police say 13 children were rescued after officers found them chained to beds. Their parents now face torture charges. https://t.co/3Mb1IIhxDl pic.twitter.com/HoY0M0rXMl
— Chris Stewart (@CStewartWPTV) January 16, 2018
