After the Turpin Children Escaped Their Parents' Abuse, Some Faced More Horrors in Foster Care

On Jan. 14, 2018, a frightened teenager made a frantic call to 911. As the operator picked up, a voice that sounded much younger than her 17 years told the dispatcher she "lived in a family of 15" and her parents were abusing the children. When asked how they were abused, Jordan Turpin rambled off a disturbing list that didn't begin to describe what she and her siblings had survived.

Jordan told the dispatcher that two of her little sisters were chained up. Jordan later told Diane Sawyer that she made the call from the road outside of her home because she had no idea she was supposed to be on the sidewalk. "I had never been outside before," she explained. After the 13 Turpin children were freed from their parents' home, the abuse was far from over for some of them. Where are they now? Here's what we know.

At time of their rescue in 2018, the children ranged in age from 2 to 29 years old. When police knocked on the door of David and Louise Turpin, they were met with a horrifying assault on every sense. The house was filthy and smelled of decay, molt, rot, old food, dead animals, and unwashed humans. The adult children were so malnourished, authorities thought they were younger than 18, per The Mercury News. Some of the kids were chained to beds. They were all filthy.

More than half of the Turpin children have chosen to remain in the public eye in some form or another. Jordan, Jennifer, and Julissa are on TikTok, where they invite people into their lives on their own terms. In October 2024, Jennifer got married. She shared pictures of the stunning event to her Instagram. It was a nice day for a goth wedding.

In January 2026, Julissa marked the beginning of the eighth year of her freedom by celebrating all she has done since her escape. In a TikTok, Julissa said she has learned how to ride a bike, cook, started her own business, and found the teachings of Jesus, to name a few. "There are much more not listed here," she wrote in the caption. "I couldn’t be more thankful for God's goodness and the chance to live free."

According to ABC News, six of the 13 Turpin children were abused while in foster care. In July 2022, they filed a lawsuit against Riverside County and the private foster care agency tasked with placing them. Per the complaint, the siblings were subjected to abuse that included "hitting them in the face with sandals, pulling their hair, hitting them with a belt, and striking their heads." They were also forced to "eat excessively" and then had to eat their own vomit.

Although the foster parents were not initially named, in October 2024, ABC News reported that Marcelino Olguin was sentenced to seven years in state prison for abuse he inflicted on nine victims, "several of which were Turpin siblings." Rosa Olguin, his wife, and their daughter, Lennys Olguin, were each sentenced to four years' probation. Julissa, along with her siblings Jolinda and James, has since come forward about this abuse.