In January 2018, 17-year-old Jordan Turpin escaped through a window in her Perris, California, home and called police. When she claimed she and her siblings were abused by their parents, responding officers had no idea a truly grisly scene awaited them.
Over the next few hours, it was discovered that David and Louise Turpin had kept Jordan and her 12 siblings—ranging from ages 2 through 29—in barbaric conditions. Some were chained to their beds, while others of adult age were so malnourished that police mistook them for teenagers. The details of the case drew national attention, becoming known as the “House of Horrors.”
Eight years later, the siblings’ ordeal is back in the spotlight with The Turpins: A New House of Horror, an ABC special debuting Tuesday, February 3, at 10 p.m. ET. The program will feature new interviews between Diane Sawyer and three of the Turpin children—James, Jolinda, and Julissa—who shockingly faced more abuse in foster care after their rescue, according to a news release.
Ahead of the special, which will also stream the following day on Hulu and Disney+, here’s everything we know about the lives of David and Louise Turpin and their children today.
Who are David and Louise Turpin, and what were they accused of?
David and Louise Turpin reportedly grew up in Princeton, West Virginia. A court clerk’s office in Giles County, Virginia, confirmed the couple married in Pearisburg, Virginia, on February 11, 1985—when David was 23 years old and Susan was only 16, according to People.
Over the following decades, the couple had 13 children and moved throughout the United States. The family lived near Fort Worth, Texas, before moving to Murietta, California, in 2010, later settling in Perris. David is a former engineer for Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, while Louise is a former homemaker. The couple also ran a private school out of their house, called Sandcastle Day School, with David listed as the administrator and principal.
To an outsider, the Turpins may have appeared as a close-knit family. They visited Six Flags and Disneyland and sometimes appeared together in matching clothing for family photos, including at a vow renewal ceremony in Las Vegas featuring an Elvis Presley impersonator.
However, police discovered the family’s home life was not at all what it seemed after Jordan’s escape on January 14, 2018. Authorities discovered David and Louise held their children captive in their home, linking them to their beds with chains and padlocks. Prosecutors alleged the parents denied their children basic hygiene, allowing them to shower only once per year and never taking them to a dentist.
The residence was described as “dark and foul-smelling,” and some of the children lacked basic life knowledge—not knowing what a police officer or medication was.
David and Louise were arrested on charges of torture and child endangerment and held on $9 million bail.
David and Louise Turpin are in prison and eligible for parole after 25 years
Before the case could go to trial, David and Louise Turpin each pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts in February 2019—including torture, false imprisonment, cruelty to an adult dependent, and willful child cruelty. That April, the couple was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 25 years.
“I love my children so much. I really look forward to the day I can see them, hug them, and tell them I’m sorry,” Louise said at the sentencing.
Louise, 57, is currently housed at the California Institution for Women located in Corona, according to California prison records. Little is known publicly about her life behind bars.
David, 64, was previously incarcerated at the California State Prison in Corcoran, which once housed cult leader Charles Manson. However sometime around February 2024, he was moved to an undisclosed prison “due to safety and security concerns,” according to the New York Post. It’s not clear if the transfer was made because of Turpin’s behavior or threats made against him.
Several of the Turpin children were abused in foster care
In July 2022, six of the 13 Turpin siblings filed a lawsuit against Riverside County, California, and the private foster care agency that placed them, alleging they had suffered years of “severe abuse and neglect” in their new home.
According to the court complaints, the siblings accused their caretakers of physical abuse including striking them in the face with sandals, pulling their hair, hitting them with a belt, and striking them in the head. They also claimed the officials responsible for their case failed to report the abuse and neglect when notified.
An attorney for the Turpin children recently told Inside Edition some of them claimed sexual abuse in addition to the physical and emotional mistreatment.
The foster family—later identified as Marcelino Olguin, his wife Rosa Olguin, and their daughter, Lennys Olguin—was initially arrested in 2001 and pleaded not guilty to multiple accounts of abuse and neglect. Marcelino was also charged with three counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14, according to ABC News.
In 2024, the three pleaded guilty to child endangerment and false imprisonment. Marcelino was sentenced to seven years in state prison, while Rosa and Lennys each received four years of probation. The judge also barred them from contact with nine victims, including the Turpin siblings.
Jordan Turpin is a rising social media influencer
Jordan Turpin, now 25, is a social media influencer and an aspiring model. She has over 350,000 followers on Instagram and around 1.7 million followers on TikTok, where she shows off her latest fashion selections and posts short dance clips.
Jordan has previously said she turns to her siblings for strength and inspiration. “After everything that happened, I’m so protective over each one,” she told People in 2022. “Nothing could ever break our bond. I always try and stay strong and positive for them.” In August 2025, she shared an Instagram photo of her and her older sister, Jennifer, enjoying a day at Disneyland.
Jennifer Turpin married in 2024
In November 2024, eldest sibling Jennifer Turpin, approximately 37, revealed she married her husband, Aron, the previous month at the Miller Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, California. “I am so blessed to find the most amazing guy. He is everything I’ve wanted plus more,” she wrote in an Instagram caption accompanying photos and clips from the big day.
Jennifer hasn’t shared Aron’s last name for privacy reasons.
Tyler Perry has reportedly offered “financial, psychological” support for the Turpin children
Perhaps unsurprising given the notoriety of their case, the Turpin children have reportedly received assistance from an A-list Hollywood star.
At the 2024 Paley Honors Fall Gala, Oprah Winfrey claimed that Tyler Perry—the actor and producer best known for the Madea character and series of films—watched Sawyer’s previous interview with Jordan and Jennifer Turpin in 2021 and offered help to the siblings, according to People.
“Tyler saw that special, and he reached out, and until this moment, no one has known that Tyler Perry has been taking care of those now almost grown children, making sure they have the financial, the psychological, and the emotional support to grow themselves forward,” Winfrey said.
Perry hasn’t spoken publicly about his involvement with the Turpin family.
How to watch The Turpins: A New House of Horror
Watch The Turpins: A New House of Horror—A Diane Sawyer Special Event on Tuesday, February 3 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. The special will stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Diane Sawyer, who previously interviewed Turpin children Jordan and Jennifer in 2021, will interview James, Jolinda, and Julissa for the first time.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
