ABC News Diane Sawyer sat down with two of the Turpin sisters for an exclusive interview that will air on "20/20."
Jennifer and Jordan Turpin, two of the Turpin siblings, are healing today after they escaped from the so-called “house of horrors,” where they were abused along with their 11 brothers and sisters at the hands of their parents, David and Louise Turpin.
The sisters made an escape and called 911 in January 2018, leading to the rescue of the 13 children from their home in Perris, California. The parents were convicted and sentenced to prison.
The story will be told tonight on a new episode of ABC 20/20, which airs Friday, November 19, 2021, at 9 p.m. EST.
The Turpin sisters told 20/20 the children were beaten, starved, denied an education and denied medical care. Jordan Turpin said on the show she was so scared when she called 911 that she could hardly dial the numbers.
“My whole body was shaking. I couldn’t really dial 911, because – I think it was us coming so close to death so many times. If something happened to me, at least I died trying,” Jordan Turpin said on the show.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Turpin Children Are Now ‘Happy’ & ‘Moving on With Their Lives’
Deputy District Attorney Kevin Beecham, who prosecuted the case, told People in April 2020 that the Turpin siblings are all in various stages of healing, and they are now moving forward in life.
“They’re all happy,” Beecham told People. “They are moving on with their lives.”
He said at the time that they all remained in southern California. He said they were close and regularly met up.
“They still meet with each other, all 13 of them, so they’ll meet somewhere kind of discreet,” he told People.
The six youngest children were adopted, he said. Because of their ages, they were able to quickly adjust to life outside of their parents’ home, Beecham told People. Several of them are in school and working, and one of them has earned a college degree, he said at the time.
“Some of them are living independently, living in their own apartment, and have jobs and are going to school. Some volunteer in the community. They go to church,” Beecham told People.
Jack Osborn, an attorney for the adult siblings, told The Desert Sun at the time that some of the siblings were interested in pursuing careers in teaching and engineering, while one of the siblings is pursuing a career as a medical field technician.
Little information was released about the younger siblings because they are minors, the news outlet reported. Osborn told the newspaper the older siblings are “doing well. They are all pretty much living independently.”
The Turpin Siblings Were Able to Endure the COVID-19 Pandemic & Lockdowns Despite Returning to Some Social Isolation
She and her siblings were held captive by their parents, never allowed to contact the world outside. But after secretly watching @JustinBieber videos, she says she was inspired to make a plan to escape. | @DianeSawyer‘s 20/20 premieres Friday on @ABC. t.co/RO3GAWJDmC
The Turpin siblings had a unique perspective when it came to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, said Jack Osborn, the attorney for the adult siblings, in an interview with The Desert Sun in April 2020.
“COVID-19 makes it challenging but they’re in school and just living normal lives,” he said. “They grew up not going outside. It’s weird for them now, but it’s something they’re doing OK with.”
The newspaper reported they were beginning to “assimilate into traditional lifestyles.”
“They don’t want their experience they went through as children to define them,” Osborn told the newspaper. “They want people to know they are normal, young, healthy adults doing what everyone else is doing out there.”
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