An aunt of the 13 siblings found locked up in the California house of horrors has revealed how the children’s father would creepily watch her in the shower when she lived with the family for a short time.
Elizabeth Jane Flores, now aged 41, said she lived with her sister Louise Turpin and her husband David in Texas briefly more than 20 years ago.
Flores said her brother-in-law David often made her feel uncomfortable.
‘If I was to get in the shower, he would come in while I was in there and watch me – it was like a joke,’ Flores told Good Morning America on Wednesday.
‘He never touched me or anything. I was young, I was scared. I was in Texas where I knew nobody. I was treated like one of the kids, I had rules.’
Elizabeth Jane Flores, now aged 41, said she lived with her sister Louise Turpin and her husband David in Texas briefly more than 20 years ago
David and Louise Turpin, seen renewing their vows at an Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas in 2015, have been arrested after 13 of their children were found shackled to beds inside their home in Perris, California on Sunday
Flores said Louise and David ran a strict household but at the time she didn’t see any signs of abuse.
‘Now looking back, I see things that I didn’t see then,’ she said.
The Turpins have been charged with torturing and keeping their 13 biological children – ranging from 2 to 29 years of age – captive in their Perris, California home.
The children were rescued by police on Sunday after the couple’s 17-year-old daughter escaped through a window and called police saying her siblings were being chained up inside the home.
Flores told DailyMailTV on Tuesday that she had not seen her sister in 19 years, and while she still kept in touch with her by telephone, Turpin refused to invite her over to her home and never let her speak to her nieces and nephews.
Parents David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were arrested and charged with torture and child endangerment on Sunday
Police found the siblings inside their family home (above) after the 17-year-old girl managed to escape through a window and call 911 with a cell phone she had found in the house
Police said the 17-year-old girl bravely managed to escape through a window of the home and notify authorities. She told police she was scared her parents would kill her if they caught her escaping, according to the Mirror
Through a shabby screen erected in front of the French windows, heaps of clutter, including what appear to be books, could be seen inside the home
She said their parents had bought tickets to visit the family but Turpin would not give them an address.
When asked why no one in the family thought to report the Turpins to authorities, Flores told GMA that their behavior didn’t seem abnormal to them.
‘When this happens for 20 years and before the kids are even there, you don’t think it’s abnormal,’ she said.
‘If it had been two years ago, we would have thought something is not right. Even before children, they were real private.’
Flores broke down in tears when she said that while she did not agree with her sister’s actions, she still loved her and would pray for her salvation.
‘I want her to know that she’s my blood and I love her. Her actions has made the whole family suffer,’ Flores said.
‘I want to reach out to the kids. For years we begged to see them, I’ve asked for 20 years to be able to Skype them. I want them to know they have family that love them, whether they know us or not.’
She also added that she thought the 17-year-old who had escaped was the same child named after her.
Police originally thought all of the victims were children but soon discovered seven of them were adults. The family are pictured above in a photo taken around 2015
‘Things 1 to 13’: The family are seen in Dr Seuss-style shirts, and all in blue jeans, in a family photo posted in April 2016
The Turpin family, as well as extended relatives, are seen enjoying a holiday at Disneyland in California in 2011
Her revelations come a day after police hailed the teenager a hero for managing to escape the horror home and help rescue her 12 brothers and sisters.
The girl, who was so malnourished officers initially believed she was only 10, managed to escape through a window and call 911 with a deactivated cell phone she had found in the home. When officers interviewed the girl, she provided photos of the conditions and abuse suffered by her and the rest of her siblings.
Authorities found at least three of the Turpin children – aged 2 to 29 – shackled to their beds and furniture with chains and padlocks in a dark, foul-smelling room inside the family home.
The victims, including six children and seven adults, were ‘malnourished and very dirty’. It is not clear how long some of them were chained, padlocked and shackled before they were discovered.
‘We do need to acknowledge the courage of that young girl who escaped,’ Riverside County sheriff’s Capt. Greg Fellows said on Tuesday.
Police confirmed that all 13 victims are the biological children of David and Louise Turpin. They were both arrested and charged with nine counts of torture and 10 of child endangerment. They are being held on $9million bail pending a court appearance.
According to The Mirror, the 17-year-old who finally broke free thought her parents would kill her if they caught her trying to escape.
‘In her mind, she was risking her life,’ a source told the paper, describing the teen as ‘so intelligent’ despite alleged limited access to the outside world during her childhood.
The couple are pictured above on a neighbor’s surveillance cameras being arrested on Sunday morning
More than once: The family are gathered for yet another vow-renewal ceremony in 2013, with the children dressed in the outfits which were then re-used three years later
David and Louise are pictured in front of Disneyland’s iconic castle appearing to hold Tinker Bell. The photo appeared on Facebook in October 2010 and was one of multiple trips to the theme park
The malnourished siblings, who were taken to hospital still dressed in their pajamas, continue to undergo treatment. Child’s services will now seek a court order to have oversight over the 13 children, including those over the age of 18.
Police confirmed that both David and Louise Turpin were religious but were unable to say if that played a role in holding their children captive.
While still early in the investigation, police said there were no signs that any of the siblings were sexually abused or that the parents were suffering from mental illness.
The sheriff’s captain said the conditions were horrific and amounted to torture. It wasn’t yet clear how long they had been held in such conditions in the filthy home but it appeared to have been a ‘prolonged’ period.
‘If you can imagine being a 10-year-old and being chained to a bed … I would call that torture,’ he said.
He added that Louise seemed ‘perplexed’ about why police came to their home, but it was unclear how the children’s father reacted.
Deputies had never been called to the home and neither had social service workers.
Corona Regional Medical Center CEO Mark Uffer said his facility is treating seven of the adult children.
‘It’s hard to think of them as adults, they are so small,’ Uffer said, adding that they clearly malnourished but stable and very friendly.
‘I believe they are hopeful life will get better for them after this event.’
They have had marriage-renewal ceremonies in Las Vegas by an Elvis impersonator at least three times in 2011 (pictured above), 2013 and 2015
The couple’s joint Facebook page features several photos of the youngest child when she was a baby in late 2015. She was often pictured posing with her mother outside the house, including dressed as Disney Princess Snow White (left)
The shocking allegations provide a stark contrast to the life shown on David and Louise’s joint Facebook page. They appear to have had marriage-renewal ceremonies in Las Vegas by an Elvis impersonator at least three times in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
Their children were present at the ceremonies and are seeing posing for photos in 2015 in matching outfits for the boys and the girls. The 10 girls are all dressed in pink dresses with white tights and white shoes, while the boys are seen in suits with purple ties – and bowl haircuts like their father.
Footage of the ceremony posted online showed the smiling children awkwardly dancing and clicking their fingers behind their parents.
Another ceremony with the same Elvis impersonator in 2013 – prior to their youngest child being born – shows the children wearing the same outfits. Photographs from 2011 show the couple by themselves, but impersonator Kent Ripley said the children were in attendance that time as well.
‘I’m still disturbed. This is a sad day for everybody, especially the children, I mean they were sitting right around here three different times,’ Ripley told Fox5Vegas. He added on Today: ‘Nothing seemed to be unusual apart from the fact there was a lot of them. They were well behaved and smiled a lot’.
Other pictures show the family smiling on several trips to Disneyland, while another shows them wearing Dr Seuss-style shirts, with each child’s top emblazoned with ‘Thing 1’ to ‘Thing 13’.
It also features several photos of the youngest child when she was a baby in late 2015. She was often pictured posing with her mother, including in a Snow White costume, inside a Krispy Kreme store and at a lake.
The last public images that appeared on the Facebook page were posted in July 2016.
Speaking to CNN, grandmother Betty Turpin said the parents made the children dress alike for safety reasons. She describes how the children would line up according to age and the mother and father would walk in front and back of the line.
‘They were very protective of the kids. This is a highly respectable family.’
Louise’s sister Elizabeth Jane Flores, 41, told DailyMailTV that he was never allowed to visit her sibling in California and knew something was ‘not right’ about her parenting.
She said she had not seen Louise in 19 years, and while she still kept in touch with her sister by telephone, Turpin refused to invite her over to her home and never let her speak to her nieces and nephews.
‘She never let us talk to her kids. She wouldn’t even accept my Facebook request. We all wondered what was going on. My parents booked several flights to go see them but when they got there they wouldn’t tell them where to go and my parents left crying every time. They died before they got to see them again. It’s just heartbreaking and I’m so embarrassed about all of this,’ she said.
Meanwhile her other sister Teresa Robinette told NBC: ‘We always thought she was living the perfect life. She would tell us they went to Disneyland all the time, they would go to Vegas.’
Tradition: The couple are seen in a picture from 2011, renewing their vows in front of the same Elvis impersonator
Playing happy families: The Turpins are pictured smiling at the most recent of their vow renewals, which was conducted by an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas
Loved-up: Pictures on Facebook show the Turpins renewing their vows in 2015, with their children next to them at the altar
DISNEY-OBSESSED PARENTS ARRESTED FOR IMPRISONING 13 CHILDREN
The parents accused of starving and keeping their 13 children chained up inside their home had an obsession with Disneyland, according to the multiple family trips they took to the theme park and their ‘DSLAND’ car license plates.
David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were both arrested at their home in Perris, California on Sunday after their 17-year-old daughter managed to escape and call 911.
But the shocking allegations made against David and Louise are in stark contrast to the life they publicly portrayed on their joint Facebook page.
David and Louise are pictured above smiling with their children and Disney Princess Jasmine. The photo was posted in 2012
Photos posted on Facebook between 2010 and 2012 show that the couple took their children to Disneyland on at least two separate occasions.
David and Louise are pictured smiling with their children in front of the theme park’s iconic castle and posing with Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Princess Jasmine and Winnie the Pooh’s Eeyore.
Just like all of their family photos, the children are pictured wearing matching outfits.
Photos posted on Facebook between 2010 and 2012 show that the couple took their children to Disneyland on at least two separate occasions
Just like all of their family photos, the children are pictured wearing matching outfits
Some of the younger children wore the same Disney-themed outfits on both family trips to the theme park. The trips occurred prior to the birth of their youngest daughter, who is now aged two.
Meanwhile, two of the four cars parked outside the family’s home in Perris when they were arrested also appear to have licence plates linked to Disneyland.
One of the plates on a Volkswagen Beetle reads ‘DSLAND’.
The other, which is also on Volkswagen, says ‘DL4EVER’. There has been speculation that the second plate could also mean David and Louise forever.
One of the plates on a Volkswagen parked outsdie their home reads: ‘DL4EVER’. There has been speculation that the second plate could also mean David and Louise forever
One of the personalized plates on a Volkswagen Beetle reads ‘DSLAND’
Disney-themed statues were spotted in the yard of the family home in Perris on Tuesday