Jordan Turpin Details Terrifying Moment She Escaped 'House Of Horrors' & Called 911 After Suffering Years Of Torture
A child’s worst nightmare!
After years of neglect and abuse, 17-year-old Jordan Turpin spearheaded a rescue of herself and her 12 siblings by crawling out the window of her California home and calling 911.
Jordan, now 21, detailed that she was shaking uncontrollably as she made the brave decision to call authorities on her parents. “I just ran away from home,” Jordan is heard telling the 911 dispatcher in 2018. “And we have abusing parents. They hit us. They like to throw us across the room. They pull out our hair. They yank out our hair. My two little sisters right now are chained up.”
In a 20/20 special airing Friday, November 19, Jordan alongside her sister Jennifer recalled the terrifying moment to Diane Sawyer. “I was actually on the road,” Jordan told Sawyer, explaining she had only been out of the family home a few times in her life. “I didn't even know about the sidewalks. You're supposed to be on the sidewalk, but I'd never been out there.”
The 911 call led to a police investigation into the Turpin family. The 13 siblings, who ranged in age from 2 to 29 at the time they were rescued, were subject to years of abuse at the hands of their parents, David and Louise Turpin.
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The sisters explained their parents would beat and choke them as well as their siblings, some of whom were chained to beds on and off for extended periods at a time. They also claimed they were deprived of food, hygiene and health care.
David and Louise Turpin were eventually sentenced to 25 years to life behind bars after each pleading guilty to 14 felony counts including cruelty to an adult dependent, child cruelty, torture and false imprisonment. The two will be eligible for parole in 22 years.
In court, Louise voiced her regret for the harm she and her husband inflicted on their children. “I want to say I am sorry for everything I have done,” she said. “I love my children so much... I pray for my children every day. I am truly sorry for everything I have done to hurt them. I love them more than they can ever imagine.”
The Turpin House
Escape from a House of Horror, airs on ABC on Friday, November 19 at 9pm EST.
