Jordan Turpin Now — How Her Escape Shaped the Life She Lives Today

The story involving the Turpin family is impossible to forget once you learn the full details. In a nutshell, David and Louise Turpin held all 13 of their children captive in their Perris, Calif., home, and they likely would have remained there under the same horrific conditions if their daughter, Jordan Turpin, hadn’t escaped and used a deactivated cell phone to call 911.

She was only 17 at the time, but her bravery led to her and her siblings being freed.

That was in January 2018.

While some of the Turpin kids faced additional abuse after being placed in a foster family, which was eventually flagged by authorities and led to jail time for that family, according to ABC News, Jordan is now an adult, living in her own apartment and making her own rules. But she’s not stopping there. In fact, Jordan has become quite the voice on social media.

Here’s a look back at what happened to Jordan and what she's doing now.

For those unfamiliar with Jordan Turpin’s story, it’s quite the shocking one. Honestly, it’s hard to believe the abuse she suffered came at the hands of her own parents.

David and Louise Turpin were arrested in January 2018 after Jordan escaped from their Perris, Calif., home through a window at night, using a deactivated cell phone that could still call 911, according to CNN. She had been planning the escape for more than two years. It’s strange to put the words “escape” and “family” in the same sentence, but yes, Jordan and her 12 siblings, ranging in age from 2 to 29 at the time, were being held captive.

They were often physically abused and denied the essentials — food, healthcare, and education. The children were sometimes bound with ropes, which eventually were swapped out for chains to keep them from getting loose, and shackled to their beds.

They were malnourished and hadn’t seen a doctor in over four years.

None of them had ever been to a dentist. Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin told CNN that at times, the kids would be tied up for weeks or even months. And because they weren’t properly fed, or sometimes not fed at all, the malnutrition was so severe that some of the adults looked like teenagers.

If Jordan hadn’t taken the risk and escaped, something her older sister Jennifer had once also tried, as the sisters revealed in a 2021 interview with ABC7NY, who knows what state she and her siblings would be in today.

But after their rescue, Jordan and her siblings slowly started rebuilding their lives. By 2021, she had earned her high school diploma and even started taking college courses. Since then, a lot has changed for Jordan.

Now in her 20s, Jordan is enjoying her freedom and has become quite active on social media. She frequently posts to her Instagram page, whether it’s dancing, lip-syncing, or exploring new places like Universal Studios.

Remember, she was held captive for basically her entire teen life, so she has a lot of catching up to do.

On a more serious note, Jordan aspires to be a motivational speaker, according to her Instagram bio, because she “loves to help others.” She’s also working on launching an online store called Braveness, which fits her perfectly, because she truly is brave!