Police charge two parents in California after 13 siblings, some shackled to beds, are found at the family's home in the city of Perris.
ADVERTISEMENTA couple have been charged with torture after police rescued 13 people from a home in California where it is believed some were shackled to beds.
The discovery was made after a 17-year-old girl escaped the house in Perris around 100 kilometres east of Los Angeles.
Along with torture, parents David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, are accused of child endangerment. Both were held on $9 million bail each.
Police say some of the siblings, aged from two to 29, were padlocked inside a dark and foul-smelling room.
Neighbours have expressed their horror at the discovery. One woman said: "This family held their children captive in their house and chained them, their kids, to their beds. So it's just been really shocking."
Other neighbours have described the family as shut-ins saying the Turpins and their children rarely emerged from their home in the city of Perris.
Police have said six of the couple’s children were minors, while the other seven were over 18. The Turpins are due in court on Thursday.