Turpins 2- California Torture House (Graphic content discussed)

[ColeJo]

34 minutes ago, snickerz said:

I've read that the kids were forced to memorize big chunks of the Bible, and some trying to memorize the whole thing. Sounds religious to me.

Demons also know scripture and know how to use it as a weapon. The parents were using this as a means of control. The Epic of Gilgamesh might have been too short. From my point of view, when religion reaches the "extremism" end of the spectrum, their religion becomes the idol. I don't really identify with a denomination. I just happen to love the people of the church that happens to be a part of the Pentecostal denomination.

This family would not mesh well in my church. In fact, they would have been in jail a long time ago if that was the case.

This also brings to light why homeschooling can be an issue if the family does not participate in the community. When parents are abusing their kids, they won't be the mandatory reporters. This is why isolation is so bad. 

[FundieFarmer]

One of the articles linked here or connected to one here had a quote by the grandparents saying they were Pentecostal.

Whatever they were, I don’t know any Pentecostals that would behave like this.

[AstroNot]

Hey, I read a few comments from various people saying that the kids may never get around to opening the letters, because either it's too overwhelming, time consuming, or possibly daunting due to their limited exposure to the outside world. And as CaricatureQualities said, "everything should be kept to more simple and encouraging notes, cards and pictures or drawings,". However, I would like to point out, in case they letters take awhile to be opened (or even risk never being opened) might I suggest decorating the envelope itself?

This site https://thepostmansknock.com/how-to-make-deliverable-mail-art/ has some cute suggestions and guidelines to making mail art that can be sent through the (American*) post with no problem. I think it's a sweet way to make sure the Turpin Thirteen see people caring and trying to make a human connection with them, and it's pretty inexpensive.

Plus, it's stimulating enough for someone with so little worldly experience without being overwhelming, I think.  

*I don't know the rules or regulations for postage outside of the US, if you'd like to send something from out of country, look into you countries guidelines, first!

 

 

[Flyingcat]

It's being covered tonight on 20/20 ABC 10:00 pm est.

[formerhsfundie]

2 hours ago, FilleMondaine said:

Fellow torture survivor, here. I don't often share for many many reasons. This is why I am sharing NOW:

• 40 percent of child torture cases are children pulled from school for "homeschooling"
• Education Secretary Betsy Devos supports unregulated homeschooling
• HSLDA is working to undermine the paltry protections that DO exist

In short, I am afraid of more kids getting tortured due to an increasingly lack of oversight.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Visit Coalition for Responsible Homeschooling's  page of "What you can do"
• Learn how to advocate for more homeschooling oversight
• Learn how to report child abuse
• If you are a homeschooling parent, learn how you can help at-risk children

If you want to learn more about the link between child maltreatment and unregulated homeschooling practices, go to the site Homeschooling's Invisible Children, a partner site to CRHS.

Coming "out of the closet" to add another "face", and hopefully spark some action. Thank you for your bravery in doing so, Aine. We both can tell you that even us success stories continue to hurt deeply. Maybe with many calls, emails and letters to officials, we can turn the tide and save children's hearts, minds, and lives.

My siblings and I weren't exactly tortured when my parents pulled us out of school to homeschool us, but we did undergo (minor compared to the Turpin's) food deprivations due to fasting and extreme religious abuse, in addition to psychological abuse and physical neglect.

I'm saddened, but not especially surprised to see it as such a high percentage. Public school can be an amazing thing for big families. I resent how easily my parents got away with their bullshit.

The person who checked in on us twice a year, a mandated reporter, herself was a Pentacostal who had 6 kids with a  man who claimed to get direct messages from God. I'm sure we looked normal to her.

Thanks to others with c-Ptsd for sharing your stories of overcoming, I am deeply encouraged while at the same time so disheartened by this story... but then again, one girl broke free and saved her siblings from dying. They are free now.

[ColeJo]

Before the trial even begins, they should be sterilized.

[HarleyQuinn]

I'm watching the 20/20 program now.

[nelliebelle1197]

Is it bad I want to see the kids - the adult ones anyway?

[HarleyQuinn]

1 minute ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

Is it bad I want to see the kids - the adult ones anyway?

It's natural curiosity. Don't feel bad.

The sister of the mom says a family member sexually abused them as kids.

They knew dad Turpin "all their lives." Started dating at 15 and 22.

[nelliebelle1197]

Omg, he has had the same haircut since high school!

[EyesOpen]

1 hour ago, ColeJo said:

Demons also know scripture and know how to use it as a weapon. The parents were using this as a means of control. The Epic of Gilgamesh might have been too short. From my point of view, when religion reaches the "extremism" end of the spectrum, their religion becomes the idol. I don't really identify with a denomination. I just happen to love the people of the church that happens to be a part of the Pentecostal denomination.

This family would not mesh well in my church. In fact, they would have been in jail a long time ago if that was the case.

This also brings to light why homeschooling can be an issue if the family does not participate in the community. When parents are abusing their kids, they won't be the mandatory reporters. This is why isolation is so bad. 

Um. Mic drop.

[HarleyQuinn]

The 29 year old was punished a lot as a child and had to ask permission to do things like sit down.

[BlackSheep]

His haircut changed (improved) in some pics from early in their marriage. Then at some point he went back to the high school style. Gah!

[nelliebelle1197]

So they have made up their own religion and it started early. And the wife was in charge...

[HarleyQuinn]

The couple both watched her sister shower but never touched her. And she never saw them abuse the kids.

[nelliebelle1197]

What were the black marks on the stairwell? Mold?

eta- the first Texas house.

[HarleyQuinn]

One of the photos the Texas homeowner took showed a rope tied to a bed.

[BlackSheep]

3 minutes ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

What were the black marks on the stairwell? Mold?

eta- the first Texas house.

Hmm, maybe it is mold. When I first saw that pic online, it seemed like marks made incidentally as people walked up and down the steps. Marks from what - dunno.

[HarleyQuinn]

Parents were obsessed with Disney, which we figured. 

Neighbor would see kids marching inside between midnight and 3:00am

[BlackSheep]

A neighbor who repeatedly saw the kids marching "for hours" in two upstairs rooms, in the middle of the night, assumed that "it was some kind of therapy".

Therapy? What?

[Black Aliss]

1 hour ago, FundieFarmer said:

One of the articles linked here or connected to one here had a quote by the grandparents saying they were Pentecostal.

Whatever they were, I don’t know any Pentecostals that would behave like this.

I do. Assembly of God people (and preachers) abuse their children with astonishing frequency. I don't know if the emphasis on speaking in tongues (what defines pentacostalism) is as great in the AoG as it was in the 1960's, but in the congregation where I was raised sexual abuse was rampant--the choir director molested young female singers he mentored and coached, the pastor himself had been raping his daughter from the time she was 12 (this came straight to me from the daughter  herself). . .I could go one and on. And Disneyland was huge for those who could afford to take their families there. Nothing about the Turpins surprises me in the least, except maybe for how long they were able to go on like this.

[HarleyQuinn]

There really isn't a lot of new info on this at all.

[AstroNot]

4 minutes ago, BlackSheep said:

A neighbor who repeatedly saw the kids marching "for hours" in two upstairs rooms, in the middle of the night, assumed that "it was some kind of therapy".

Therapy? What?

I mean, given the circumstances it would certainly raise red flags for me. However, kids do weird things when left in a group alone, and I could definitely see marching in a circle being one of them. Sounds like a stupid game I would have played during a middle school slumber party, "lets run in circles and whoever lasts the longest is the winner!!!" With the same breath though, repeatedly?? For hours?? That's were it gets really concerning. 

I do wonder if the neighbors had enough contact with the children to recognize that perhaps they were mentally disabled in some way (and didn't realize it was from neglect and abuse). My younger brother is autistic and whenever he was distressed he'd engaged in a lot of repetitive behaviors that raised some eyebrows, but once people learned he was autistic they never had a second thought about his behavior. 

Not that I think any of these are excuses to ignore red flags, I'm just kind of rattling off theories to make myself feel a little better. It breaks my heart to see all these stories come out about missed opportunities to contact authorities and nothing was done, so I guess I'm just trying to make sense of all this. 

[Otto Titsling]

6 hours ago, Nikedagain? said:

This is so true. When my daughter was finally removed from her abusive, neglectful bio mom, there was not one single foster home in our county that would take a severely autistic, non verbal child still in diapers at 5. She had nothing, not even a garbage bag with clothing. When the social worker (who was a friend) called me, (I was a teaching assistant at a special needs school that she attended and had been a GAL for years) they were prepared to make her a pallet (if they could calm her down) to sleep on the floor in her office at DSS. 

I have a daughter who severely autistic also. Although, she is verbal (a lot of echolalia). Bless you for taking in that child. I know your path is not an easy one. I just had to thank you, as these kids rarely get placed. 

[BobJonesBabe]

Just looking through the pics in this post: 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5289527/David-Louise-Turpin-eloped-16.html

Some things are odd: 

1. Their yard is very well kept in the front and the back. (could be the kids working on the "turf" ( I think that's how it was referenced) at night? 

2. There's a picture of them all sitting on the couch holding a baby. Nice floors, nice curtains. And you can tell that the backyard in the background is the same back yard as shown by the media pics. Just odd. And the kids look frumpy, but not filthy. 

3. Nice crib. And Louis in bed with new baby...does that mean this baby was born at home? 

4. It appears that the photo of the video collection is in the garage. It looks so neat and well kept. Not only clean, but organized. 

Not stating conclusions, just observations.