New details are coming out about the disturbing case in which thirteen siblings were held captive by their parents. David and Louise Turpin are being held on $12 million bail each after sheriff's deputies found their 13 children being tortured and starved in a Perris, California home.
Billy Lambert, the brother of Louise Turpin, told Inside Edition that the couple often dreamed of having a reality show and becoming household names. Lambert says his sister was 'obsessed' with the popular reality TV show, Kate Plus 8, which featured Kate Gosselin raising her eight children. Court documents revealed that the couple had given all thirteen children names that began with the letter J, similar to the large family featured in another reality show, '19 Kids and Counting.'
Photos featuring the children dressed in similar outfits for trips to Disneyland and Las Vegas, were part of the Turpins' desire to become reality TV stars, Lambert said.
Meanwhile, new surveillance video shows some of the 13 children escaping from the Perris, California home has been released. In it, you can see some of the siblings walk to their freedom, one carrying a toddler while another runs to the silver van.
The Perris 'House of Horrors' was discovered after a 17-year-old escaped from the home through a window, and alerted authorities by calling 911. David and Louise Turpin were arrested and charged with multiple felonies including child abuse, torture and false imprisonment. If convicted, they each face up to 94 years to life in prison.
They have both pleaded "Not Guilty."
The couple, which has been accused of abusing their children for years, allegedly forced the children to shower once a year, and only fed them once per day. The Turpins are also accused of shackling their children to furniture and routinely beating and starving them. Doctors say all the victims, with the exception of the toddler, were severely malnourished and that none of them had ever been to a dentist.
The siblings are currently being treated at local hospitals for their injuries and malnutrition.
The Riverside District Attorney is asking anyone who might have any information about the case to call the tip line at 888-934-KIDS.
Photo: Riverside County Sheriff's Office