After years of torture and abuse, 17-year-old Jordan Turpin snuck out of the house and called 911… saving all of her siblings.
California, United States of America (30 November 2021) – On the night of the 14th of January 2018, 17-year-old Jordan Turpin made a daring escape from her home and called 911 in order to save herself and her siblings from their abusive parents.
She and her siblings had hardly ever left the house. They had never spoken to another person. Most nights, they were spent chained up. The last time she had taken a bath was a year ago.
But this was just the tip of the iceberg of what has become known as “Horror House”.
For years, the parents had imprisoned, beaten, and strangled their children, allowing them to eat just once per day and shower just once per year. The older children appeared much younger because of malnourishment; the 29-year-old weighed just 37 kilograms. The 11-year-old child had an arm circumference equivalent to that of a 4-month old baby. Some appeared to lack basic knowledge of the world, for example, being unfamiliar with what medicine and police were. The case is considered “extraordinary for numerous reasons”, including that abuse was inflicted on multiple children by both parents and the calculated and systematic nature of the abuse and torture.
Last week, for the very first time, Jordan, now 21, told her story. She spoke to ABC News’ Diane Sawyer for 20/20 about her astonishing escape and the phone call that finally brought the Turpin children their freedom.
You can watch the harrowing interview (in 5 parts) below:
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