Turpin family – My whole body was shaking after escaping House of Horrors – we’d come so close to death so many times

ONE of the Turpin family sisters has recalled the moment her whole body was shaking after she escaped the house of horrors. 

Jordan Turpin had escaped from their Perris, California home and called 911 leading to the 13 siblings being rescued in January 2018.

Jordan and sister Jennifer Turpin sat down with journalist Diane Sawyer for a special episode of 20/20 and detailed the ordeal they went through.

Then 17, Jordan managed to escape her home through a window with a cell phone, which contained evidence of the abuse.

The sibling, now 21, said: “My whole body was shaking. I couldn’t really dial 911.

“I think it was us coming so close to death so many times. If something happened to me, at least I died trying.”

In the 911 call, which was played during a preview clip of the interview, Jordan is heard saying: “I just ran away from home because I live in a family of 15 and we have abusing parents.”

She told Sawyer that she was walking in the road after escaping as she “didn’t know about the sidewalks”.

Jordan said: “You’re supposed to be on the sidewalk but I’d never been out there.”

The Turpin sisters explained how they had a lack of food, education, hygiene, sleep, and health care for a long period of time.

Jennifer said the “only word” she could use to call their circumstances is “hell”.

Many hoped that once the siblings escaped their parents, they would be moving onto a brighter future and have stepped up to donate to the family.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for some of the siblings as they reportedly do not have access to many of the resources and services that were promised to them.

“They have been victimized again by the system,” said Mike Hestrin, the Riverside County district attorney, told Diane Sawyer on a special 20/20 about the family last week. 

Hestrin prosecuted the Turpins’ parents, David and Louise, who are now serving life sentences in different California prisons.

He and his team has remained in contact with the children.

“They are living in squalor,” he said when speaking about the adult children.