Jordan Turpin Says Her 12 Siblings Give Her the Will to Live: 'We're All Very, Very Close'

Mar. 15, 2025

AsJordan Turpinheals from her traumatic past,she’s drawing strengthfrom her 12 brothers and sisters.“We all look out for each other. We all have this super big bond. We have our inside jokes, and we’re all very, very close,” Jordan tells PEOPLE exclusively in its latest cover story. “After everything that happened, I’m so protective over each one. Nothing could ever break our bond. I always try and stay strong and positive for them.“Four years ago, the 21-year-old saved herself and her siblings from horrific parental abuse after crawling through a window of their so-called “House of Horrors,” in Perris, Calif., where their parents had held them captive for years.In the years that followed, Jordan and five of her siblings say theyendured more physical and psychological abusewhile in foster care. The siblings have filed lawsuits against Riverside County and a private foster care agency, in which they are identified as Jane and John Does.Jordan Turpin.Austin HargraveFor all the details on Jordan Turpin’s brave journey to freedom and her life now,subscribe now to PEOPLEor pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.The complaints referenced that in March 2021, the Turpins' foster parents,Marcelino and Rosa Olguin, and their adult daughter Lennys Olguin, had been arrested and charged with multiple counts of child abuse. Marcelino has also been charged with committing lewd acts on children. (All three have pleaded not guilty.)‘The Night I Left Was Not Expected’Jordan says it was her drive to protect her siblings — who ranged in age from 2 to 29 at the time of their rescue — thatpropelled her to escapeher parents’ home in 2018. (The parents, David and Louise Turpin, pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts and have been sentenced to life in prison.)For more on PEOPLE’s cover story with Jordan Turpin, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.For months, the Turpin children had listened to their parents plan a move from California to Oklahoma. “My plan was, okay, while we’re on the trip and in a crowd,I’m going to sneak out and call 9-1-1,” recalls Jordan, who had taken her older brother’s deactivated cell phone.Jordan Turpin.Austin HargraveWant to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.But in the hours leading up to the move, “Mother was yelling and throwing things, saying, ‘When we move to Oklahoma, I’m gonna chain all your…,’ and she said a really bad word,” says Jordan. “She said, ‘You can just sit in your…’ and she said the ‘S-word.’ It got really, really scary.““Everyone was freaking out. I was crying and telling them, ‘I’m gonna get us out of here. I’m gonna call 9-1-1,” Jordan continues. “The night I left was not expected. I was pushed to that point. I literally thought we were gonna die.“Finding Joy, with SiblingsJordan still has nightmares abouther harrowing past, but she’s taking back her life — with the help of her siblings.This past March, she and all 12 of her brothers and sisters attended aJustin Bieberconcert together, and “it was the greatest experience,” she says.“We were jumping, screaming and even got emotional. I got to experience it with my siblings and it didn’t feel real,” says Jordan, who had found comfort in Bieber’s music videos and interviews while in captivity.Jordan knows she still has a long road ahead of her, but on days that she’s struggling, she knows she can always count on her siblings for support.“It’s been very scary, but something that’s always made me keep going is thinking about my siblings,” she says. “They’re my biggest light in my life.”

AsJordan Turpinheals from her traumatic past,she’s drawing strengthfrom her 12 brothers and sisters.

“We all look out for each other. We all have this super big bond. We have our inside jokes, and we’re all very, very close,” Jordan tells PEOPLE exclusively in its latest cover story. “After everything that happened, I’m so protective over each one. Nothing could ever break our bond. I always try and stay strong and positive for them.”

Four years ago, the 21-year-old saved herself and her siblings from horrific parental abuse after crawling through a window of their so-called “House of Horrors,” in Perris, Calif., where their parents had held them captive for years.

In the years that followed, Jordan and five of her siblings say theyendured more physical and psychological abusewhile in foster care. The siblings have filed lawsuits against Riverside County and a private foster care agency, in which they are identified as Jane and John Does.

Jordan Turpin.Austin Hargrave

For all the details on Jordan Turpin’s brave journey to freedom and her life now,subscribe now to PEOPLEor pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.

The complaints referenced that in March 2021, the Turpins’ foster parents,Marcelino and Rosa Olguin, and their adult daughter Lennys Olguin, had been arrested and charged with multiple counts of child abuse. Marcelino has also been charged with committing lewd acts on children. (All three have pleaded not guilty.)

‘The Night I Left Was Not Expected’

Jordan says it was her drive to protect her siblings — who ranged in age from 2 to 29 at the time of their rescue — thatpropelled her to escapeher parents' home in 2018. (The parents, David and Louise Turpin, pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts and have been sentenced to life in prison.)

For more on PEOPLE’s cover story with Jordan Turpin, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

For months, the Turpin children had listened to their parents plan a move from California to Oklahoma. “My plan was, okay, while we’re on the trip and in a crowd,I’m going to sneak out and call 9-1-1,” recalls Jordan, who had taken her older brother’s deactivated cell phone.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

But in the hours leading up to the move, “Mother was yelling and throwing things, saying, ‘When we move to Oklahoma, I’m gonna chain all your…,’ and she said a really bad word,” says Jordan. “She said, ‘You can just sit in your…’ and she said the ‘S-word.’ It got really, really scary.”

“Everyone was freaking out. I was crying and telling them, ‘I’m gonna get us out of here. I’m gonna call 9-1-1,” Jordan continues. “The night I left was not expected. I was pushed to that point. I literally thought we were gonna die.”

Finding Joy, with Siblings

Jordan still has nightmares abouther harrowing past, but she’s taking back her life — with the help of her siblings.

This past March, she and all 12 of her brothers and sisters attended aJustin Bieberconcert together, and “it was the greatest experience,” she says.

“We were jumping, screaming and even got emotional. I got to experience it with my siblings and it didn’t feel real,” says Jordan, who had found comfort in Bieber’s music videos and interviews while in captivity.

Jordan knows she still has a long road ahead of her, but on days that she’s struggling, she knows she can always count on her siblings for support.

“It’s been very scary, but something that’s always made me keep going is thinking about my siblings,” she says. “They’re my biggest light in my life.”

source: people.com