Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A neighbour said the children were always accompanied by the parents

A California couple have been arrested after police found their 13 children allegedly held captive at home, some "shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks".

David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were held on charges of torture and child endangerment.

The couple's children - aged two to 29 - lived in Perris, 59 miles (95km) south-east of Los Angeles.

Officers were alerted by one of the victims, a 17-year-old girl.

The teenager - who appeared to be "only 10 years old and slightly emaciated" - on Sunday managed to escape and call the emergency number using a mobile phone found inside the house, the Riverside Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

What did police find in the house?

Police officers later found "several children shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings".

Image copyright David-Louise Turpin/Facebook Image caption Pictures show the Turpins in uniform and happy

The officers were "shocked" to discover that seven of them were actually adults aged between 18 and 29.

"The victims appeared to be malnourished and very dirty," the police said.

They are now being treated in local hospitals.

The head of one of the hospitals, Mark Uffer, told Reuters news agency: "It's actually heartbreaking for the staff and it's unbelievable what you see."

Mr and Mrs Turpin are now being held in jail with bail set at $9m (£6.5m) each.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police chief: 'I would call that torture'

How did they hide their secret?

James Cook, BBC News, Perris

On Muir Woods Road there is no hint of the horror inside number 160.

This is a smart suburban home with three cars and a people carrier gleaming in the driveway. The curtains are drawn but a decorative Christmas star can be seen hanging in one window.

The estate is neat and the houses on the road are spacious but they are close together. It is difficult to imagine how a family could hide such an enormous dark secret here.

And yet that is exactly what seems to have happened.

Neighbours are now engaged in soul-searching about whether they should have spotted that something was awry.

No-one seems to know how long the siblings may have been held captive and, of course, no-one can answer the hardest question of all - why?

What do we know about the family?

According to public records, the couple lived in Texas for many years before moving to California in 2010.

Mr Turpin has twice been declared bankrupt. At the time of his second bankruptcy he is said to have had a relatively well-paid job as an engineer at aeronautics and defence technology company Northrop Grumman.

Image copyright David-Louise Turpin/Facebook Image caption The couple's Facebook page contains numerous family photos

However, with so many children and his wife not working, records suggest his expenses exceeded his income.

The children's grandparents said that they had not seen the family for four or five years.

James and Betty Turpin told ABC they were considered a good Christian family in their community and that "God called on them" to have so many children.

The family's Facebook page shows numerous photos and videos of them, apparently happy and smiling. Many posts contain comments from family or friends.

They appear to have renewed their wedding vows several times in recent years, often with their children present.

In a YouTube video, the couple are seen renewing their vows at the Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas.

Repeating after an Elvis impersonator, Mr Turpin tells his wife: "I offer you this ring as a symbol of my love, baby, baby."

The children laugh along with the impersonator, and clap as the couple kisses.

What about the children's education?

The grandparents said their grandchildren were home-schooled, but it is not entirely clear what that means.

On the California Department of Education website, Mr Turpin is listed as the principal of Sandcastle Day School - a private school operated out of his home.

The school was opened in March 2011, the website says. Six pupils were enrolled there, all in different grades.

In California, private schools operate outside the jurisdiction of the education department and most regulations. They are directly accountable to students and their parents or guardians, and the state has no authority to monitor or evaluate them.

Teachers at private schools in California also do not need to hold a valid state teaching qualification.

What do the neighbours say?

One neighbour told Reuters that the Turpin family "were the type that you didn't really get to know anything about them".

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Neighbours said the Turpins rarely emerged from their home

"Why don't we ever see the kids?" neighbour Kimberly Milligan asked.

"In hindsight, we would have never thought this, but there were red flags. You never don't hear or see nine kids."

She recalled on one occasion saying hello to the children as they erected a Christmas nativity scene.

But she said they stopped to stand frozen still, as if by doing so they would become invisible.

She described them looking at her "like a child who wants to make themselves invisible".

Recent cases of abduction, confinement and enslavement</s>Two California parents were arrested after authorities found a dozen children and adults shackled to beds with chains and padlocks in their home, officials said Monday.

The 13 victims held captive in the home in Perris, California range in age from 2 to 29, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities started investigating after a 17-year-old girl managed to escape from the residence on Sunday and called 911. The girl claimed her 12 brothers and sisters were being held captive inside the home by her parents, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, face charges of torture and child endangerment. Bail was set at $9 million for each.

The six children are being treated at Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley. The seven adults are being treated at Corona Regional Medical Center in Corona, authorities said.</s>Two California parents were arrested after authorities found a dozen children and adults shackled to beds with chains and padlocks in their home, officials said Monday.

The 13 victims held captive in the home in Perris, California range in age from 2 to 29, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities started investigating after a 17-year-old girl managed to escape from the residence on Sunday and called 911. The girl claimed her 12 brothers and sisters were being held captive inside the home by her parents, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, face charges of torture and child endangerment. Bail was set at $9 million for each.

The six children are being treated at Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley. The seven adults are being treated at Corona Regional Medical Center in Corona, authorities said.</s>Authorities launched an investigation into alleged torture and child endangerment after multiple children were discovered bound, shackled and malnourished inside a Perris, California, home.

Authorities said David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were being held on $9 million bail each on Monday after 12 people were allegedly found to be held captive inside their home.

Authorities responded to a 911 call early Sunday from a teenage girl who managed to escape the home and call on a stolen cellphone, according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. According to investigators, the 17-year-old told police that she and her 12 brothers and sisters were being held by her parents — and that some of her siblings were chained.

Investigators said that when they met with the teenager, they initially thought she was much younger because she was "slightly emaciated." After a brief interview, officers said, they contacted her parents at their home in Perris.

When officers arrived, they discovered 12 people ages 2 to 29 being held captive in "dark and foul-smelling surroundings." Investigators said some of the children were bound, shackled or padlocked to beds.

"Deputies located what they believed to be 12 children inside the house, but were shocked to discover that 7 of them were actually adults, ranging in age from 18 to 29," the sheriff's department said.

The girl who escaped is believed to have been a 13th victim.

Investigators said that after interviewing one of the victims, they contacted her parents, who were "unable to immediately provide a logical reason why their children were restrained in that manner."

The parents were arrested and booked on charges of torture and child endangerment. They were being held at Robert Presley Detention Center.

Police said that many of the children appeared to be malnourished and that officers provided them with food and drinks "after they claimed to be starving." All 13 people were admitted to nearby hospitals for treatment.</s>Two parents were arrested after police discovered that 13 people were being held captive in their California home, shackled to beds with chains and padlocks in filthy conditions, officials said Monday.

The victims ranged in age from 2 to 29, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.

One victim, a 17-year-old girl, managed to escape from the residence in Perris, California on Sunday and called 911, police said.

The girl claimed her 12 brothers and sisters were being held captive inside the home by her parents, some of them bound with chains and padlocks, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.

Sheriff’s deputies responded the home and found the 12 other victims, who “appeared malnourished and very dirty,” authorities said. Several of them were shackled to their beds “in dark and foul-smelling surroundings,” the Sheriff’s Department said. David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were charged Sunday with torture and child endangerment, the Sheriff’s Department said. The couple was taken to the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. Bail was set at $9 million for each, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said. The six children — including the 17-year-old who escaped — are being treated at Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley. The seven adults are being treated at Corona Regional Medical Center in Corona, authorities said.</s>PERRIS, Calif. (CBS News) — Police in California say they rescued 13 siblings, aged 2 to 29, from a home where they were found chained to beds and malnourished, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced Monday.

The victims’ parents were arrested and taken to county jail on torture and child endangerment charges.

A 17-year-old girl escaped the residence in Perris, California, on Sunday and called 911 from a cellphone she found in the home, police said. When officers located her, she appeared to be slightly emaciated.

The teen claimed her siblings were being held captive by her mother and father.

Police said they discovered “children shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings” and said their parents could not explain why the children were restrained.

Deputies found 12 individuals inside the home, all of whom appeared to be children. The sheriff’s department said deputies were shocked to learn that seven of the victims were adults between the ages of 18 and 29.

David Turpin, 57, and Louise Turpin, 49, were arrested at the scene and each charged with nine counts of torture and 10 counts of child endangerment. They were each being held on $9 million bail.

Police said the victims were transported to the police station to be interviewed and were given food and water after they told deputies they were starving. The six children and seven adult victims were transported to local hospitals and admitted for treatment.

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• None VIDEO: CAR GOES AIRBORNE, SLAMS INTO 2ND FLOOR OF DENTAL OFFICE</s>PERRIS, Calif. - A house of horrors was discovered Tuesday in California when one of 13 children held captive escaped and alerted police.

Police said a 17-year-old girl, who appeared to be 10 years old because she was so emaciated, escaped the home in Perris, California, and called 911.

She told police her 12 brothers and sisters were being held captive in the home. When authorities investigated, they were horrified by what they found.

Officials said they found some of the other 12 siblings bound and shackled to their beds in foul-smelling rooms.

The siblings ranged in age from 2 to 29 years old. Police thought they were all juveniles at first, because they were so malnourished.

It turned out seven of the victims were adults, police said.

Parents David Turpin, 57, and Louis Turpin, 49, couldn't immediately explain the situation, officials said. They're charged with torture and child endangerment.

When the children were taken from the house Sunday morning, neighbors said they looked so pale it appeared they had never seen the sun.

The children were taken to a hospital to be treated and fed. Police said they told them they were starving.

The home's address reportedly finds it's listed as the Sandcastle day school, and David Turpin is listed as the principal. Police are still investigating the situation and how the 17-year-old girl escaped.</s>A 17-year-old girl who said she was being held captive by her parents escaped from her Southern California home on Sunday and alerted authorities, who rescued her 12 siblings from the residence, some of whom were shackled to their beds and malnourished.



The girl, who escaped from the house Sunday morning, used a cell phone to call 911 and tell police her brothers and sisters were being held captive in their Perris, California, home and were "bound with chains and padlocks," the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.



When officers arrived at the home, they discovered "several children shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings." The parents, David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, could not explain why the children were tied up, the sheriff's department said.

The couple was arrested and booked on torture and child endangerment charges. Their bail has been set at $9 million each.



Despite being 17, police said the girl who alerted them appeared around 10 years old and was "slightly emaciated."</s>A 17-year-old girl who said she was being held captive by her parents escaped from her Southern California home on Sunday and alerted authorities, who rescued her 12 siblings from the residence, some of whom were shackled to their beds and malnourished.



The girl, who escaped from the house Sunday morning, used a cell phone to call 911 and told police her brothers and sisters were being held captive in the Perris, California, home and some were "bound with chains and padlocks," the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.



The girl's parents, David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were arrested and booked on torture and child endangerment charges. Their bail has been set at $9 million each.



Despite being 17, police said the girl who alerted them appeared around 10 years old and was "slightly emaciated."</s>Authorities discovered 12 siblings, some in chains and starving, inside their parents home in Perris, California on Sunday.

A 17-year-old managed to escape the house and alerted authorities to the fact that her 12 brothers and sisters were being held captive by their parents, according to a police statement. Riverside County Sheriff’s Department dispatched deputies alongside officers from the Perris Police Department to meet the 17-year-old girl, who “appeared to be only 10 years old and slightly emaciated.”

Authorities went to the residence and questioned the parents, David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49.

“Further investigation revealed several children shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings, but the parents were unable to immediately provide a logical reason why their children were restrained in that manner,” the statement read.

Authorities found six minors, as young as six years old, and seven adults, whose ages ranged from 18 to 29 years old. All of the victims appeared to be dirty and malnourished. The minors were transported to Riverside University Hospital System while the adults were sent to Corona Regional Medical Center for examination and medical treatment.

The sheriff’s department did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment and an update on the medical conditions of the siblings.

Both parents have been transported to Robert Presley Detention Center on child endangerment and torture charges with a bail of $9 million each. The Turpins are set to appear in court on Thursday, Reuters reports.
Two people are arrested in Perris, California, after 13 people aged between 2 and 29 years old are found being held captive at their house, including some "shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks". They are all believed to be siblings.