Turpin’s siblings filed a civil lawsuit against Riverside County after years of abuse

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) — Six Turpin siblings who suffered years of child abuse at the hands of their foster parents after enduring more than a decade of abuse at the hands of their biological parents in their Perris home filed a lawsuit against Riverside County.

The children say they are pleased with the recent conviction and sentences of their former foster parents, but attorneys representing the siblings say they hope the civil lawsuit recently filed against Riverside County, as well as the foster agency that placed them, formerly known as ChildNet, will prevent something similar from happening to other foster children.

“They are happy,” says lawyer Elan Zektser about the outcome of the case. “But what now? What about (Riverside) County? What about CPS? What about ChildNet?”

Just a few months after their parents were arrested, the six youths were placed in the Olguins’ foster care. Although lawyers claim multiple reports of child abuse have been made to authorities for years, they say nothing has been done.

“They had been told over and over again that ‘you are safe, you are saved, we will help you, we have you, trust us.’ And then they were placed here, with a child molester. They were placed here, with child molesters,” Zektser said.

Rosa, Lennys and Marcelino Olguin were convicted last Friday of various cases of child abuse. Rosa and Lennys Olguin’s sentences were suspended and placed on probation for four years.

Marcelino Olguin, who pleaded guilty to charges of sexual abuse in addition to child abuse, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

“The damage the Olguins could do was limited to the number of children they had in the house. It was terrible, it was tragic, it should not have happened and it caused great harm to our clients,” said lawyer Roger. Stand. “But the responsibility that the Riverside County Department of Social Services has, and the responsibility that ChildNet has, is much greater because it extends to thousands of children that they have responsibility for.”

According to the complaint, attorneys accuse Riverside County and ChildNet of violating the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and breaching mandatory duties. They say mediation is scheduled for early next year and hope to take their case to court.

“If they don’t actively protect children who need to be protected, the harm that can happen is far greater than what a single foster family can do,” Booth said.

The case attracted international attention in early 2018, when one of Turpin’s thirteen siblings escaped from their home and contacted police. David and Louise Turpin were arrested and later pleaded guilty to multiple charges of child abuse, torture and false imprisonment. They were sentenced to life in prison.

“It’s a tough road to hoe. It’s a lot of trauma that they’ve been through. They’ve had some therapy. They’ve had some help. But it’s going to be a lifelong process of trying to unpack what happened to them and trying to get past it somehow,” Booth said.

All but one of Turpin’s thirteen siblings are now adults.

“One of the children is still in foster care,” Booth said. ‘Luckily she is in a good foster home with loving foster parents, and she is doing well. The others are all on their own. Some are studying, some are trying to find their way in the world.

In response to our request for comment, a spokesperson for Riverside County issued the following statement:

“The trauma this family has endured is heartbreaking. We remain committed to their well-being and their lifelong journey to healing. We appreciate our county and community partners who are working with us to support this family, and every family, with services and resources.

The Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) is no longer placing children in homes through the agency formerly known as ChildNet. DPSS continues to address existing placement gaps and expand safe, available placements. Recently, the province invested more than $30 million to purchase and staff a therapeutic campus for children with complex needs awaiting placement.

The province is committed to continuous quality improvement and we are continually reviewing our practices, procedures and policies. Since 2022, we have implemented many of the Larson Report’s recommendations and are in the process of implementing several more. For example, we have hired hundreds of additional social workers, which has led to a significant reduction in workload.”