"The long-term needs of these kids are going to be psychological and psychiatric needs due to prolonged periods of starvation and maltreatment," Riverside University Health Services Child Abuse Unit Medical Director Sophia Grant said. "This is going to be long-term and they’re going to need to need loving support to achieve any type of normal life."
The parents, David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, are accused of holding their children captive in filthy conditions, some shackled to beds and chairs with chains and padlocks.
Couple arrested in Southern California, U.S., after police found they shackled their 13 children to beds with chains, left them malnourished https://t.co/RACufmnI6v pic.twitter.com/jh3Xl7GsEe
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) 16 января 2018 г.
On Sunday, a 17-year-old girl managed to escape from the home and called the emergency line 911 from a cell phone she had found in the house, police said. She claimed her 12 brothers and sisters were being held captive inside the home, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department disclosed previously.
"We do need to acknowledge the courage of the young girl who escaped from that residence," Fellows stated on Tuesday. "We’re working with child protective services and medical professionals to ensure that the victims get the help that they need."
Of 13 siblings ranging from age 2 to 29, six were under the age of 16 and the remaining seven were adults, but looked much younger apparently due to years of malnutrition, according to police.
