It will now be July before the public can read the findings of an independent probe into Riverside County’s care of the 13 Turpin siblings found chained and abused in a Perris home.
A report from retired judge Stephen Larson’s law firm will be publicly available July 7 or 8, county spokesperson Brooke Federico said Friday, June 24. A formal presentation will be made to the Board of Supervisors on July 12, she added.
The report was originally due in March, but has been pushed back repeatedly as Larson’s firm sought sealed court records needed for the investigation. The report was expected in June. But Federico on Friday said it was delayed “a few weeks to allow time for (Larson’s firm) to review and incorporate recently released court records and to make court-ordered redactions.”
The county announced it hired Larson after ABC News “20/20” aired a report last November on the Turpins, who were discovered in 2018 chained to their beds, malnourished and abused by their parents.
David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts and are serving sentences of 25 years to life in state prison. After they were freed, the minor Turpin children were placed in foster care while the Public Guardian’s office looked after the adult siblings.
The ABC report raised questions about the children’s post-captivity life. Two of the adult children said they struggled to find money for food, were forced to live in bad neighborhoods and were cast into society with few life skills or regard for their well-being, an assertion backed by District Attorney Mike Hestrin.
Despite an outpouring of community support that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the children, Joshua Turpin said the Public Guardian denied his request for money to buy a bike. And three members of a Perris family have been accused of physically and psychologically abusing nine foster children, including five who evidence suggests are members of the Turpin family.
Larson told supervisors last December that his investigation would be “thorough and transparent.” Parts of the report that contain information deemed confidential by the court will be redacted.
