Turpins: Abuse by California foster parents worse than mistreatment by biological parents

Almost all of the 13 children of David and Louise Turpin endured years of torture, neglect and psychological harm before they escaped from their Perris home in 2018, prosecutors say.

But the six minor children subsequently placed in the foster home of Marcelino, Rosa and Lennys Olguin suffered even more nightmarish abuse there in their three-year stay than they did trapped with their parents largely out of public view for many years longer, the attorneys representing the six in two lawsuits against Riverside County and a foster placement agency said at a news conference Monday. Oct. 21.

Attorneys Roger Booth and Elan Zektser spoke near the Riverside County Hall of Justice where the Turpin parents were sentenced in 2019 for their crimes and the Olguins were sentenced on Friday. The attorneys also said the lawsuits filed two years ago seeking unspecified damages and alleging that the defendants failed to protect the Turpins could go to trial late next summer.

Unlike the Turpins, who had pleaded guilty to torture, false imprisonment and child endangerment, one of the Olguins — 65-year-old Marcelino Olguin — admitted to seven counts of a sexual assault charge, lewd acts on a minor.

“What happened in that home is worse than what happened in their biological parents’ home,” Zektser said. “So a number of them are extremely relieved that the Olguins will not do this to another child.”

The attorneys relayed pointed comments from the youngest Turpins, who are now, except for one, adults. The Turpins were critical of how Riverside County Child Protective Services caseworkers monitored their safety and investigated reports of abuse, and of ChildNet, the state-licensed business that placed them with the Olguins.

“They felt the county and ChildNet were worse than the Olguins themselves,” Zektser said. “They had been told over and over again, ‘You are safe. We got you, trust us,’ and then they were placed here. With a child molester.”

Booth did acknowledge that CPS had difficulty obtaining access to ChildNet records as noted by former federal Judge Stephen Larson in his 2022 report on the county’s “failed” support of the Turpins following their escape.

County Department of Social Services spokeswoman C.L. Lopez said in a written statement Monday that the county no longer contracts with ChildNet, which in 2023 changed its name to Foster Family Network.

“The county is dedicated to continuous quality improvement, and we are constantly reviewing our practices, procedures, and policies,” Lopez added. “Since 2022, we have implemented many of the Larson report’s recommendations and are in the process of implementing several more.  By way of example, we have hired hundreds of additional social workers resulting in a significant reduction of caseloads.”

ChildNet officials did not respond to a message seeking comment.

The six minor Turpins were taken in at the foster home in April 2018, three months after the 13 Turpin children, ages 2 to 29 and whose names all begin with the letter J, were rescued from captivity after one snuck out of their home and called 911.

Six to nine months later, allegations began reaching CPS of crimes being committed by the Olguins, Booth said. He declined to say who made the reports but said some of them came from people outside the home. The 13 Turpins are known to be in frequent contact with each other.

But, none of the CPS investigations initially resulted in the children being removed or charges being brought against the Olguins.

Said Zektser: “On a number of occasions, they were trying to push it under the rug like it was no big deal.”

Part of the problem, Booth said, was that the children were questioned in front of the Olguins, who had told the children “They were nothing,” nobody would help them and if they left the Scenic Way home, the tight-knit siblings would be broken up.

“They were afraid,” Booth said.

CPS did eventually notify the Sheriff’s Department, Zektser said. Master Investigator Tom Salisbury interviewed the children away from the home and reported his findings to the District Attorney’s Office. The Olguins were charged on Nov. 3, 2021.

“The Turpins, they want change,” Zektser said. “They want more oversight. When kids are struggling, they want to be noticed, and when kids are reporting abuse, they want somebody to listen.”

Some of the Turpins are now in college and others are working, he said.

But Booth acknowledged that for the Turpins, who received about a first-grade homeschooled education and didn’t know what things like ice and medication were, “Trying to adapt to living in the real world has been a struggle.”

Added Zektser: “They went from a horrific situation to a more horrific situation, and they were thrown out into the world, trying to do their best. They are learning through experience. Oftentimes, that is not a good thing. It leads to a a lot of people trying to take advantage of you, and bad situations.”

Suspected abuse can be reported to 800-442-4918. Anyone interested in fostering or adopting a child can call 800-665-5437.