Two-hour special profiles the Turpin family tragedy in House of Horrors Family: The Friends Speak, Sunday, March 15th 9 ET/PT.

From the outside looking in, the Turpin family seemed normal enough, but a phone call in 2018 changed everything for Elizabeth Flores when she learned investigators had entered her sister Louise Turpin’s home. “When they got there, they found three children shackled by chains to the bed …”

Shackled Children - 14 Jan 2018
Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock

Perris, California authorities report that in all, thirteen children had been held captive for years inside a filthy house that Louise Turpin shared with her husband, David. Then one child’s escape exposed the dark secrets of what had been happening inside this gruesome household for decades. Neighbor Shelli Vinyard never suspected how bad it was and will never forget. “It was just awful, in the house and outside of the house, the stench.”

The REELZ Special sits down with friends, neighbors and family to learn how blindsided even they were to the horrors and neglect taking place inside a home that blended into its quiet neighborhood.  Says sister, Elizabeth Flores, “The kids were so dirty that … you couldn’t tell they were white.”

Were the Turpins mentally ill, or sadistic psychopaths? Why didn’t the children seek help sooner? And can you ever really know what’s going on behind closed doors?

Get the full story in House of Horrors Family: The Friends Speak, Sunday, March 15th 9 ET / PT on REELZ.

Shackled Children, Perris, USA - 24 Jan 2018
Damian Dovarganes/AP/Shutterstock

Watch REELZ on DIRECTV 238, Dish Network 299, Verizon FiOS 692, AT&T U-verse 1799 and in HD on cable systems and streaming services nationwide. Find REELZ on your local cable or satellite provider at www.reelz.com.

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