LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Prosecutors say 13 malnourished children found in captivity in California were chained as punishment and a 17-year-old plotted her escape for two years.
Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said Thursday that another sibling escaped with the 17-year-old over the weekend but turned back out of fear.
Hestrin says all 13 victims were severely malnourished and as a result some have cognitive impairment and a lack of basic knowledge of life. He says a 29-year-old female victim weight 82 pounds.
Hestrin says none of the victims were allowed to shower more than once a year.
Fifty-seven-year-old David Allen Turpin and 49-year-old Louise Anna Turpin have been charged with torture and abuse and could face up to life in prison.
