The aunt of 13 siblings allegedly held captive by their parents has revealed more shocking details, including the disturbing way their father behaved towards her.
Elizabeth Jane Flores, sister to the children’s mother Louise Turpin, said her brother-in-law, David Turpin, would watch her shower when she briefly lived with the family in Texas more than 20 years ago.
“He did things that made me feel uncomfortable,” she told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “If I were to get in the shower, he would come in there while I was in there and watch me, and it was like a joke. He never touched me or anything.”
Flores also said she had strict “rules” to follow and was “treated like one of the kids” when she lived with her sister.
“I thought they were really strict, but I didn’t see any type of abuse,” she said of the parents. “Now that I’m an adult, I look back, I see things that I didn’t see then.”
David Allen Turpin, 57, and his wife, Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were arrested this week after police rescued their 13 children, who were being held captive in their own home in Perris, California. The couple have since been charged with torture and child endangerment.
David Turpin posted photos of the family to social media, including this shot taken as he and Louise renewed their wedding vows.
According to the New York Times, a 17-year-old managed to escape the house of horrors and call 911, alerting the authorities to the unimaginable conditions she and her 12 siblings were forced to endure.
The girl’s 12 siblings were aged 2-29, all severely malnourished and claimed to be “starving” as they were fed by their rescuers and admitted to hospital.
Seven of the children are aged over 18, though looked no older than teenagers.
WATCH: David and Louise Turpin were arrested after locking up their 13 children inside their home in Perris, California. Post continues…
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that some of the children were being held with chains in a statement: “several children were shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings.”
The statement went on to say,”the parents were unable to immediately provide a logical reason why their children were restrained in that manner.”
There is no word on how long the children have been held captive in their home, though the family have lived in their Perris home since 2010. While investigations are ongoing, there are so far no signs that the children were sexually abused or that the parents have any signs of mental illness.
Both David and Louise Anna Turpin are being held in jail with bail set at $9 million each.
