CA - 13 victims, ages 2 to 29, shackled in home by parents, Perris, 15 Jan 2018 #2

[Betty P]

“They were just like any ordinary family,” said Betty Turpin, the 81-year-old mother of David Turpin. “And they had such good relationships. I’m not just saying this stuff. These kids — we were amazed. They were ‘sweetie’ this and ‘sweetie’ that to each other.”

Betty Turpin told another outlet her son told her he had so many kids because God wanted him to, and that he shared her Pentecostal Christian faith but was not affiliated with a church in California.
“I feel they were model Christians,” she told the Southern California News Group on Wednesday. “It’s hard to believe all of this. Over the years, the Lord knows what happened.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...-shower-n838671?icid=today_hp_NBCtopheadlines


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Sure sounds like the religion, values and parenting style came from his parents. Given the links to other large fundamentalist religion families with emaciated children on social media, it looks as though this lifestyle is not unusual in WV. IIRC, that is where David and his parents grew up. I do hope the children aren't placed with these grandparents. They don't seem to think there's anything wrong with the way their son was raising his "family".

 

[Deleted member 158085]

There is a picture of what appears to be rope on a bedframe from the home they lived in back in Texas [emoji24] [emoji174]
Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1801580073198454&id=108571612499317

And someone called CPS in the 90s.

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[Trident]

And someone called CPS in the 90s.

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And I've called CPS on my own family. Zero/zip/ziltch. CPS is a joke UNTIL something like this is unearthed. Now, who is held responsible? Not CPS I'm sure, they made their "appointment" with the family (like they did in our case) giving the perps ample time to clean up and indoctrinate the kiddies, and everything is honkey dorey when CPS comes driving up. In our case, it took a couple of years and multitudinous police reports to get any action.

There has to be a better way, maybe a committee tasked with checking up on home schoolers, mandated by the Feds? OK, the state? Someone, please God, to protect our children?

 

[Deleted member 158085]

If those children were vegetarian or had never had any junk food then would their weight be much different?
As children we were never given any junk food or sugar drinks and we were on the thin side.




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Oh, lordy. No, vegetarianism itself does not make one thin. I gained weight when I became a vegetarian. Over the last 25 years I've fluctuated between 6 clothing sizes, just like my aunt who is a meat eater.

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[Deleted member 158085]

how can u tell when they are blurred ?

There are pictures that aren't blurred in the MSM article I was looking at.

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[enelram]

Does anyone know, if in California, is it standard procedure when arrested to be drug or alcohol tested?
Just wondering since both parents eyes look a little strange in their booking photos.
Anyone else think so?

 

[strawberry]

This article says not only are they due in court today, but prosecutors plan a press conference "earlier in the day"

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/01/18/grandparents-reports-starved-grandchildren/

David and Louise Turpin, jailed on $9 million bail, are expected to make their first court appearance on Thursday, and could face charges including torture and child endangerment, authorities said. Prosecutors plan a news conference for earlier in the day.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

One theory that I have. As odd as it sounds, I tend to agree with a couple OPs, and think it may have been hoarding. I was thinking about the animal hoarding cases. A good majority of the time, the whole animal hoarding thing starts innocently enough. They love animals, they want to take care of them, and give them a safe home, Then they just keep taking on more critters, until the critters' food, vet needs, and supplies begin to mount up and become difficult to afford, and to properly care for all of them. It goes on until it starts to get out of control and the animals that they claim to love, are sitting in squalor, the hoarder's home is in shambles, their bank account is drained, and some have even chosen the animals over their spouse and/or families. Then someone finally makes that call and they the animals they claimed to love, along with everything else. We've all seen at least one of those shows. Replace the animals in crates, with kids chained to beds. Only I think that after the children reached a certain age, she lost interest, and wanted another infant.

"she lost interest and wanted another infant."

You are right. This is exactly how a lot of animal hoarding situations start. There are probably some real psychological tendencies shared between this couple and animal hoarders. I had a volunteer with my organization who began to concern me. She would come up with reasons to keep her foster kittens at home, avoiding adoption days. This would result in them not finding homes, but once they were adults, she would suddenly have the urge to get them adopted out and rescue new kittens. I dismissed her from foster care at some point and I see she is continuing this cycle on her own now.

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[PoirotryInMotion]

Looking at the Dr Seuss/ Disney connection, I'm speculating that Louise perceived herself as having a limited childhood ("when I grow up, I'll go to Disneyland!") plus she has limited intelligence and individuality, so she probably associates herself with brands/ products to achieve her own identity. One of the sisters claimed to have suffered abuse from a close family member, so perhaps Louise did too and she closed in on herself, and retreated into this dream of a perfect childhood, perfect identity based on the limited cultural references she'd picked up on as a little girl.

She sees herself as "the sort of person" who loves Dr Seuss and loves Disney, and she's still stuck in the daydream of being a mother with a bouncing baby on her lap. It's like her dreams didn't develop with her life, she's stunted at the point she wanted when she was a little girl "When I grow up, I'll visit Disneyland all the time, and I'll get married in Vegas with Elvis singing to me, and we'll have a baby." Rather than progressing from the daydream, she put it on a loop and kept getting married, kept having babies, kept visiting Disneyland.

Except babies get hungry, they grow up, lose their cuteness, answer back, the house doesn't look like a Disney castle and birds don't fly in to do the housework... so Louise retreats further into her fantasy loop, repeating it over and over again. All we can see of their life is what is recorded on social media - it's possible the Vegas charade went on every few years from the very beginning.

I'm not clearing David of any responsibility here - I just can't get a clear picture of his motivations and responses, except that he was a very accommodating husband and not a father at all. Elvis, the princessy side of Disney, the constant white weddings are all feminine fantasies, played out on a juvenile feminine level, so I don't think he's the driving force behind that. I think he played along with Louise's fantasies and denials, at the cost of his children's freedom and well-being. He also looks extremely unhealthy with a strange weight distribution. Apart from that, I've got no insight into him.

You expressed the vibe I've gotten from this perfectly. Insightful post.

In response to other discussion, here--it seems obvious the mistreatment of the children has been decades-long, given their initial medical assessments and their appearance. But I think it's also possible there has been a pronounced downward spiral in the last few years--maybe precipitated by the loss of both of LT's parents just 3 months apart in 2016. No matter what the parental relationship, for someone stuck in a perpetual fantasy loop, that double-whammy of finality and loss can be difficult to process. Even more difficult, sometimes, if there were unresolved relational issues that contributed to one's deeply entrenched, unaddressed maladaptive behavior patterns as an adult. A more rapid escalation into overtly abusive behavior (eg. chains & padlocks) would be the sort of thing that might be different than the abuse a child has always known, grown up with, and therefore viewed as 'normal' (eg. social isolation, odd rituals & rules, corporal punishment, food restriction) and so might be the thing that triggers the mind of at least one child to think 'this isn't okay--we need help.'

In other words, I think it's entirely conceivable that, concerning the mom, there was both longterm rigidity and abuse AND a pronounced downward spiral in the last couple of years (since baby 13 was born or her parents died). Not getting much of a vibe about the Dad other than that (IMO) he appeared to be trying to assuage and accomodate an increasingly out of control wife and homelife (overspending, hoarding, bankruptcies, child abuse) by frequently indulging her unaffordable fantasies (Disneyland, weddings, and babies)...and so perpetuating a negative spiral that was destined to end badly. This is the mark of a more passive, appeasing male personality, to me, which is another reason why I'm leaning toward the mom being at the core of this. (Which is not to say he's not culpable--even if he only 'allowed' it or turned a blind eye to what was happening to those poor kids, IMO he's responsible to the hilt. There is no escaping it, not this time at least.)

 

[wantjustice]

A man I used to work with years ago had 12-13 kids with his wife. They were a lovely family and in no way like these two criminals. His wife told me she loved being pregnant and having babies. Their eldest at the time was getting ready for college and their youngest was an infant. I wondered what she would do when she could no longer have kids. They lived in a relatively regular sized house but ran a tight ship and had everything organized. The wife also homeschooled them but unlike this woman her daughter was already accepted into an outstanding college. I am thinking this criminal loved the pregnant and baby stage too but to an unhealthy extreme and took it out on the kids when they got older. The baby looks chunky and healthy like a baby should unlike the other kids although the little one is so unhappy in the photo. Seems almost like mom doted on babies and wanted them to stay little and when they got to a certain age, abused them with lack of food, cruel punishment and only God knows what else. I also think her behavior in the videos and photos at recommitment ceremonies is very weird. It is like she's trying to relive and reclaim her youth. The video made me sick. I kept thinking about those poor malnourished kids having to dance and jump, their poor bones . She's a control freak. I think we have just touched the tip of the iceberg.

 

[RickshawFan]

Catching up and not sure if this has been posted yet, but here’s a YouTube video of the Turpin’s California home and backyard filmed from over the back fence by the neighbors.
In a few of the photos you can see inside what looks like the kitchen area. Boxes and boxes of diapers and other things stacked up in there.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gj46zG3ZJA

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That Disney piece out back looks like they’ve turned Mickie and Minnie into a shrine. Sick.

Does anyone know what the wording on the vanity plates refers to?


It also seems as though there were children in those cars. There are going to be videos all around town, and with those pink (?) license plates....

Where did these people’s paycheck go? He made, like, $130k. Basic, nutritious, food really doesn’t cost that much if you’re careful. And several of the kids are young. Maybe $1200 per month would have been plenty for the whole batch, and I don’t mean Duggar-style with all the processed food they eat. I mean a crock pot casserole per day, oatmeal for breakfast, PBJ for lunch, an apple, and milk and maybe a baked potato turned into a snack.

This whole thing is not about having too little money to support a big family.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

From what I've observed, hoarding of anything whether it's animals, kids, houseful of furniture, elaborate hobby collections, etc. fills a deep emotional need. Similar to how a shopaholic is never satisfied with one major shopping spree, they must go out and do it again and again and again. There is a brief respite of that emotional void when
procuring the excess but then it becomes a nagging need again and they start over again. More shopping, more
furniture, another baby, another car, another trinket in the hobby collection.

You're right. I'm always on the edge of being a book hoarder. I probably don't cross the line only because I've been in so many hoarder homes (but I am on the edge, for sure, with my books).

Looking at the psychological needs of hoarders we could possibly gain some insight into this couple.

I likely surround myself with books because they were my escape during a difficult childhood. I keep a large bookshelf in my living room with my favorite books because it literally brings me comfort to look at them. I unpack my books before I unpack all of my clothes when I move.

I worked for a hoarder at one time and he hoarded paper supplies, food, and books. He grew up poor, I think, in another country. I would throw things out and he would just replace them. It all began to take over his home and he was almost buried beneath it all.

Now here's where we can really draw some parallels, I think, between this situation and hoarding, looking at animals. Because I am in animal rescue, I have seen my fair share of deplorable hoarding situations, and people who are on the edge of it.

I believe that hoarding is ultimately about saving yourself . I save myself to a degree with my books through the comfort they offer. My employer /friend was saving his childhood self who did not have things by making sure he never ran out of basic supplies. And animal rescuers who become hoarders are often also saving themselves. They see something weak, voiceless, vulnerable, and they want to rescue it. But because ultimately it's not about the animal's well-being, but rather about them saving their own vulnerable, voiceless child-self, eventually the adoration toward the first rescue wears off and they need to repeat the cycle with a new one.

So I suspect she may have begun by wanting to save her childhood self and create a perfect family for her to relive her childhood vicariously through. But since her real goal was to rescue her childhood self, the children did not ultimately matter. It was the feeling of being a new mom who would nurture the fetus in pregnancy and the child until breastfeeding was over.

Perhaps the disconnection from each child came after the closeness of breastfeeding wore off, when the child was no longer attached to her, an extension of herself, when it could survive without access to her body and eat on its own.

We know her sister has said that she was sexually abused around the time Louise married and left home. I would say it's possible that a family member abused Louise and when she was no longer available, started on the sister. Later, the sister lives with Louise during her teenage years, probably in an attempt to get away from her abuser.

OK, so now look at how Louise's children seem to be prevented from reaching full-time puberty. Is this a subconscious effort to prevent them from being sexually desirable in an abusive world? Maybe. Is keeping the adults at home also a way to prevent this?

All my opinion, and I'm not set on any of this, but I see it all as a possibility.

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[RickshawFan]

I'm thinking what you're thinking. I think severe depression and manic episodes are a big part of this. They don't explain everything, but I do think depression/mania is a factor.

I think the mom had high hopes with each new child....only to be overcome with the responsibilities of motherhood. She drowned in the responsibilities - and part of drowning was surrounding herself with the hoards of stuff and grime. Once in awhile she would bounce up big and they'd go to Vegas. And then back down.

I think she was incapable from the start to run a household and it spiraled and spiraled and spiraled down.

Don't know about the father, though. I think he was just sorta "there." Others are seeing a patriarch, but I'm seeing a passive man. THIS IS SPECULATION probably based on the dorky haircut, which I admit is flimsy evidence! :slap:

jmo

The older kids would have stepped in if an “overwhelmed” scenario were correct, IMO. Kids are inclined to do that for their siblings, even by instinct. And the kids in the photos do seem to have bonded with each other. With the added hint that their current carers are trying to find a home for them together. There’s no reason to think the kids wouldn’t have taken care of one another if mom was “overwhelmed”. They would have got the food thing figured out in no time.

 

[RickshawFan]

I also noticed some medical bills on the bankruptcy forms. Anesthesiology I believe was on one of the bills. So IT does seem atleast someone was seeking medical attention.


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A tummy tuck?

 

[wantjustice]

This article says not only are they due in court today, but prosecutors plan a press conference "earlier in the day"

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/01/18/grandparents-reports-starved-grandchildren/

Bouncing off this post, grandma didn't think it was weird that her older grandchildren were acting like little kids and not starting their own lives when she visited?! One would have been at least 23.

 

[Doghairrules]

Exactly.
This wasn't an impoverished family.
They just chose to spend their money on things other than food

Just food for the children. The parents apparently didn’t deprive themselves. Of anything. [emoji22]

 

[RickshawFan]

Never underestimate the power of human strength,courage, and love.
I need to add one more thing, let’s all remember that while they are now “free to grow and think like normal humans “,they will also be curious (and sensitive) about everything, including themselves, what people say and what people think... Websleuths and the big wide web is just a click away, please be sensitive to that fact when questioning certain things and how you phrase them. They are the biggest story in the world right now, let’s be sensitive to the fact that they are people with feelings that have been damaged and hurt enough...


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It’s likely that computer use will be controlled for some time. Their carers just need a filter on the computer. They are being carefully sheltered.

 

[Doghairrules]

They appear to be too big for all the children/adult children.
The younger kids have their jeans rolled up, and on the older ones, the jeans just kinda hang off them.

IMO

I can’t imagine either of these breeders carefully choosing 13 pairs of jeans in the right sizes. Wonder if they got 4 pairs of three different sizes and the children just tried to make it work?

 

[Deleted member 158085]

Less than 12 hours before they were arrested, David Turpin, 57, and Louise Turpin, 49, told friends they were 'getting ready to leave town'.
A source said: "I saw them about 7 or 8pm on Saturday. “They said they needed to say 'goodbye' because they were getting ready to leave town.”
“They didn't say where or when they were going.” “I couldn't believe it when I saw their pictures on the TV two nights later."

~snip

Another source said: "It raises the question of whether the Turpins were saying 'goodbye' for another city, or whether they were plotting to end their lives entirely."

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department declined to comment when asked by the Mirror if a murder-suicide plot is a line of inquiry.
~snip
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/revealed-turpins-said-goodbyes-just-11870542


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Well there's our reason for why the 17 year old escaped at that moment in time.

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[RickshawFan]

In the press conference I believe it was the M.D. said all the children would need to be treated for PTSD.
I can't imagine that there won't be lifelong emotional scars on the bulk of these offspring.

IMO PTSD would be predicted by even a lay person. No MD required.