An Amercian couple has been arrested after they held their 13 children captive in their home.
Police were alerted to the situation when one of the children, a 17-year-old girl, escaped and called for help. She managed to leave the house on Sunday morning and called the police using a mobile phone she had taken from home.
She was so malnourished that the Police believed she was just 10 years old.
When Police arrived to the house of David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, they found 12 other children in appalling conditions, with some chained to beds. They reported ‘foul-smelling’ conditions where the children were being kept.
The children, who range in age from 2 to 29, have all been hospitalised, while David and Louise have been charged with torture and child endangerment.
According to NBC News, the Police released the following statement:
“Deputies located what they believed to be 12 children inside the house, but were shocked to discover that 7 of them were actually adults, ranging in age from 18 to 29. The victims appeared to be malnourished and very dirty.”
