Prosecutors are moving to legally separate David and Louise Turpin from the 13 children they allegedly held captive. The Southern California couple has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of torture, child abuse and false imprisonment. Some 20 people have offered to take guardianship of the Turpin children.
After last week’s initial appearance before a judge, David and Louise Turpin are expected back in court Wednesday to face a restraining order. They are accused of abuse that lasted for years, including putting some of their 13 children in chains, reports CBS News correspondent David Begnaud.
With the children’s expected release from the hospital this week, a source tells CBS News officials want to make sure they do not visit their parents in jail, fearing any conversations could taint the on-going investigation.
The Turpins’ arrest reportedly came as they were planning to move to Oklahoma. A source tells CBS News the children told authorities their father was either recently transferred or fired.
Louise Turpin’s brother told “Inside Edition” that dressing the siblings alike was done partly to position the family as future reality TV stars.
“I believe that my sister wanted a reality show because, you know, the very last conversation I had with her, before all this happened, she did actually say that she feels that they would be perfect for TV at one point,” Billy Lambert said. He said she bragged about having more kids than the star of “Kate Plus 8,” which was among the hundreds of DVDs found in the family’s garage.
Another relative, David’s brother, Randy Turpin, is the president of a Christian college in Ohio. He wrote a book about the spiritual benefits of fasting. A source close to the investigation told CBS News Randy told authorities in California on Tuesday that he wanted to explore the possibility of adopting the children. But before those discussions can happen, officials want to talk to him about another matter: whether he knew about the past abuse.
Officials insist their top priority for the children, whose names we’ve learned all start with the letter “J,” is their ongoing well-being.
“We’ve heard that all the adult kids are together at the hospital, why is that?” Begnaud asked Mary Parks, who works with Riverside County’s Department of Public Social Services.
“Whether you are in foster care, available for adoption, or whatever the case may be… we make every effort possible to keep those siblings together,” Parks said.
All the siblings are still being cared for in hospitals near their home in Riverside County, California. But that’s about to change. A source tells us the county has won conservatorship over the adult children, and they’ll move to a supervised living facility Wednesday. And starting Thursday, the six minor children will be split up to live in two foster homes.
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