Social Services 'Failed' Turpin Siblings by Placing Them with Abusive Foster Families After Rescue: Report

Mar. 15, 2025

Social services “failed” theTurpinsiblings after they escaped captivity from their abusive parents, according to a newly released report.

The report was released on Friday.

The abuse the 13 Turpin siblings endured came to light in 2018 whenJordan Turpin— who was 17 at the time — escaped from the family’s Perris, Calif., home and told authorities about their captivity and abuse.

Courtesy Billy Lambert.

Prior to their rescue, the Turpin siblings, who ranged in age from two to 29, had spent most of their lives indoors — hidden from the outside world — where they were regularlybeaten and starved. At times, the children were chained to their beds or put in cages for breaking house rules, which included keeping their hands off their parents' food.

David and Louise Turpin.Jae C. Hong/AP (2)

Their parents, David and Louise Turpin, were laterconvictedon 14 felony counts including cruelty to an adult dependent, child cruelty, torture and false imprisonment and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

AnABC 20/20 specialthat aired in late 2021 revealed the rocky road the Turpin siblings faced in the years that followed their rescue.

“The public deserves to know what their government did and didn’t do, and how we failed these victims,” Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrinsaid in the special. “[It’s] unimaginable to me that we could have the very worst case of child abuse that I’ve ever seen, maybe one of the worst in California history, and that we would then not be able to get it together to give them basic needs, basic necessities.”

In one of the foster homes where several Turpin siblings lived, children were allegedly abused over an extended period, according to the 20/20 special. In another home, a foster parent allegedly told one of the Turpin girls that she understands why her parents chained her up.

The Turpins’ Perris, California, home.Sandy Huffaker/Getty

The older siblings were allegedly sent out into high-violence neighborhoods with little-to-no life skills training and denied basic care from their public guardian, the report alleges, according to ABC News. The siblings told the outlet that their guardian was allegedly often unwilling to offer simple support, such as teaching them how to use public transportation, cross the street properly, and access their health care benefits.

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The firm assembled experts from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Policy and School of Social Welfare, the UCLA School of Public Affairs, and Virginia Tech’s Center for Gerontology. According to the report, the team reviewed around 30,000 pages of records and interviewed more than 100 people over an eight-month period.

The report found no misappropriation or theft of any of the funds earmarked for the Turpin siblings.

In a statement, Riverside County said it “is committed to finding innovative solutions and implementing recommendations.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go towww.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com