![A family of 12 children held in captivity in their own home rescued by police in Carlifornia.- [image credit wikimedia commons/Matty Ring]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/1/16/660x290/b_502x220x82/a-family-of-12-children-held-in-captivity-in-their-own-home-rescued-by-police-in-carliforniaimage-credit-wikimedia-commonsmatty-ring_1780565.jpg "A family of 12 children held in captivity in their own home rescued by police in Carlifornia.- [image credit wikimedia commons/Matty Ring]")
Police and residents of Perris, California are still trying to come to terms with the horror that came with the discovery of 13 Siblings held in captivity by their parents in their own home, in deplorable conditions, according to a New York Times reports.
According to the Riverside County Sherrif's Department, the shocking discovery was made after one of the siblings, a 17-year-old girl, managed to escape through the home's window on Sunday (Jan. 14). She then used a deactivated cell phone and called 911, alerting authorities of her sibling's status.
The home where the siblings were being held is located in Perris California, 70 miles Southeast of Los Angeles, belonging to David Allen Turpin, 59, and Louise Anna Turpin, 47. The parents of the 13 siblings in captivity.
Prolonged abuse and neglect
A spokesman for the Riverside County Sherriff's Office, Capt. Greg Fellows, revealed in a press briefing on Tuesday (Jan. 16) that the 13 siblings, aged between two and 29 years old were rescued from the Turpin home. This was after the 911 call, made just before dawn on Sunday.
Although Capt. Fellows did not give the full details, he mentioned that when police arrived at the home, they found the siblings locked up, with three of them chained to furniture inside the house.
The siblings were so malnourished, that the adults appeared much smaller than their actual age. The six children and seven adults were found kept under filthy, foul-smelling, dark, and deplorable conditions, Capt. Fellows observed.
The abuse and neglect appeared to have taken place over a long period of time according to authorities, who are still baffled as to why parents turned into their children's tormentors.
Parents arrested and charged
The parents will be charged with nine counts each of torture and child endangerment, and are currently in jail.
Riverside County Department of Public Social Services Director, Susan Von Zabern, said her office would apply for court approval to provide over-sight care for the children, including the adults if necessary.
Currently, the seven adult siblings are undergoing treatment at the Corona Regional Medical Centre, and have been placed together in a secure area. According to the hospital's Chief Executive, Mark Uffer, they are in stable condition and are friendly and cooperative.
When asked about their condition when they were admitted, Uffer said he had never seen anything like it.
The six children are receiving medical attention at the child abuse and neglect unit of the Riverside University Health System. The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Sofia Grant, said she could not give specific details on the children's condition, but mentioned their treatment had begun and would be a long grueling journey.
