Who are David and Louise Turpin? Parents of 13 emaciated children found in Perris, California home

COPS said they found 13 children shackled to beds in their dirty home in California in a shocking discovery.

The two parents have been jailed for life following the alleged find – but what do we know about them and the children?

Who are David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin?

Twisted David Turpin, 57 and Louise, 50, are were given 25 years to life behind bars for the hideous abuse and imprisonment of their kids.

The pair were arrested in January 2018 and pleaded guilty to abusing and imprisoning their children in their home.

Their arrests were made after one of the 13 siblings called police and said her 12 brothers and sisters were being held captive.

She was so emaciated cops thought she was 10 years old at first, cops said.

The 17-year-old told police some of her siblings were bound with chains and padlocks.

What did cops find at the California home?

Police said when they arrived at the property in Perris, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles, they found children shackled to their beds in "dark and foul-smelling surrounds".

The discovery was made on January 14 in the US state.

A statement from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office said: "Deputies located what they believed to be 12 children inside the house, but were shocked to discover that seven of them were actually adults.

"The victims appeared to be malnourished and very dirty."

Neighbours told local media they had no idea there were children in the house, while others said they only saw them at night.

The six children were transported to the Riverside University Hospital System (RUHS) for medical examinations and admitted for treatment. The seven adult children were taken to Corona Regional Medical Centre for an examination and treatment.

Pictures were later made public which showed an unkempt garden, dirty carpets and doors with scratches on.

What do we know about Mr and Mrs Turpin?

David Turpin's parents, James and Betty, from West Virginia, said they were "surprised and shocked" at the allegations.

After the pair's arrest pictures emerged of them and the 13 children posing on various day trips.

One showed the couple and the kids at Disneyland, wearing matching T-shirts.

Another showed the Turpin's getting married in a Las Vagas style ceremony – complete with Elvis impersonator.

The children were gathered around the couple wearing matching dresses and suits.

The girls all had matching hair cuts and the boys all sported bowl cuts.

The family were said to be big fans of Disneyland and went on holidays to the theme park.

Some residents said they saw the kids picking up rubbish around their home and digging for food in bins, according to CBS2 News.

Neighbours have also told how they would rarely see the children – with one claiming to have been unaware there were any living at the house.

Andrew Santillan, who lives around the corner, told the Press Enterprise: "I didn't know there were kids in the house."

The parents appeared in court on January 18 and pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of torture, child abuse, dependent adult abuse and false imprisonment.

Mr Turpin also pleaded not guilty to performing a lewd act on a child under age 14.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said the children were tied to beds with ropes and then hog-tied.

While the children were deprived of food, the Turpin parents ate well and tormented the kids by leaving apple and pumpkin pies on the kitchen counter, but not letting them have any, Hestrin said.

The oldest child, a 29-year-old woman, weighed only 82 pounds and a 12-year-old was the weight of a typical seven-year-old, Hestrin added.

All the children's names begin with the letter J, according to court documents that didn't provide their full names.

David Turpin has also charged in May 2018 by a court in California with perjury over his claim he was running a private school for his 13 kids.

Wife Louise was not named in the charges.

Both are due in court on June 20 for a preliminary hearing to see if there is enough evidence for the pair to stand trial.

What have the Turpin family said about the couple?

The family of Louise and David Turpin spoke to Good Morning Britain of their horror, and revealed Louise isn't showing signs of remorse.

Elizabeth Flores, Louise's sister, said of learning the news: “I actually didn’t know anything. I haven’t seen them since 2010. And even at that time I didn’t see all the children. I had lost contact with Louise two years ago. I hadn’t had any phone contact or anything for two years.

“I broke down. I fell apart. I didn’t know how to respond actually, it was like I was living a nightmare and couldn’t wake up.”

Tricia Andreassen, Louise's cousin, said: “It was a nightmare. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. Especially because as children, the three of us played a lot together. Louise and I are only a year and a half apart, so we were really close growing up. We would all play board games and all that. It was a real shock because the times when I would talk to her on social media – we had gone our separate ways, I’d followed the business world, she was in a whole other world – but everything had looked normal.”

Asked what had gone wrong in that part of the family, Elizabeth said: “I have no idea. We’re searching for answers just like the rest of the world. We really don’t know what happened. That’s why we’re seeking out answers just like you are.”

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