Abuse by foster parents in California is worse than abuse by biological parents – The Mercury News

Nearly all of David and Louise Turpin’s 13 children endured years of torture, neglect and psychological harm before fleeing their Perris home in 2018, prosecutors said.

But the six minor children subsequently placed with the foster family of Marcelino, Rosa and Lennis Holguin endured even more horrific abuse during their three years there than they did while trapped for years with their parents, largely out of the public eye, it is claimed attorneys representing Six of the two lawsuits against Riverside County and the foster care agency said at a news conference Monday. October 21.

Defense attorneys Roger Booth and Elan Zeckzer spoke outside the Riverside County Hall of Justice, where the Turpin parents were convicted in 2019 of their crimes and the Holguins were sentenced Friday. Lawyers also said the lawsuits, filed two years ago, seeking unspecified damages and alleging the defendants failed to protect the Turpins, could go to trial late next summer.

Unlike the Turpins, who pleaded guilty to torture, false imprisonment and child endangerment, one of the Holguins – 65-year-old Marcelino Holguin – admitted to seven counts of sexual assault and indecent acts on a minor.

“What happened in this house is worse than what happened in their biological parents’ house,” Zekzer said. “So some of them are very relieved that the Holguins won’t do this to another child.”

The attorneys relayed harsh comments from the youngest Turpins, who are now, with one exception, adults. The Turpins were critical of the way Riverside County Child Protective Services officials monitored their safety and investigated reports of abuse, as well as ChildNet, the state-licensed business that placed them with the Holguins.

“They thought the district and ChildNet were worse than the Holguins themselves,” Zekzer said. “They were told over and over again, ‘You are safe. We got you, trust us,” and then they were put here. With a child molester.

Booth acknowledged that CPS had difficulty gaining access to ChildNet records, as former federal judge Stephen Larson noted in his 2022 report on the county’s “failed” support for the Turpins after their escape.

County Department of Human Services spokeswoman S.L. Lopez said in a written statement Monday that the county no longer has a contract with ChildNet, which changed its name to Foster Family Network in 2023.

“The trauma this family has experienced is heartbreaking. … DPSS continues to close existing employment gaps and expand safe and accessible employment opportunities. The district recently invested more than $30 million to acquire and staff a therapeutic campus for children with complex needs awaiting placement,” Lopez wrote.

“The district is committed to continuous quality improvement, and we continually review our practices, procedures and policies,” Lopez added. “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, resulting in a significant reduction in workload.”

Representatives from ChildNet did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Attorneys Elan Zeckzer (left) and Roger Booth (right), representing some of the Turpin children, speak outside the historic Riverside Courthouse in downtown Riverside on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Both attorneys provided updates on the civil lawsuit they filed on behalf. some of the Turpin children v. Riverside County and ChildNet, which placed six Turpins with foster parents in Perris who were later accused of physically and psychologically abusing them. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Newsletter/SCNG)

The six Turpin minors were taken into foster care in April 2018, three months after 13 Turpin children, ages 2 to 29, whose names begin with J, were rescued from captivity after one of them slipped out from home and called 911.

Six to nine months later, CPS began receiving allegations of crimes committed by the Holguins, Booth said. He declined to say who made the messages, but said some came from people outside the home. The 13 Terpins are known to come into frequent contact with each other.

However, none of the CPS investigations initially resulted in the children being removed or the Holguins being charged.

Zekzer said, “In a number of cases, they tried to sweep it under the rug as if it wasn’t a big deal.”

Part of the problem, Booth said, was that the children were interrogated in the presence of the Holguins, who told the children, “They were nothing,” no one would help them, and if they left the home in Scenic Way, the close-knit siblings would be broken.

“They were afraid,” Booth said.

CPS eventually notified the sheriff’s department, Zeckzer said. Lead investigator Tom Salisbury interviewed the children away from home and reported his findings to the district attorney’s office. The Holguins were charged on November 3, 2021.

A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy prepares to handcuff Marcelino Holguin after he was sentenced to seven years in prison on Oct. 18, 2024. Holguin pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent acts with a minor. His victims included some of the Turpin children living with his foster family. On October 21, the lawyer said Holguin had victimized them even more than their biological parents, who also went to prison for abuse. (Brian Rokos, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

“The Turpins want change,” Zeckzer said. “They want more control. When kids are struggling, they want to be seen, and when kids report abuse, they want someone to listen.”

Some of the Turpins are now in college and others are working, he said.

But Booth acknowledged that for the Turpins, who were home-schooled through first grade and didn’t know what ice or medications were, “trying to adapt to life in the real world has been difficult.”

Zekzer added: “They went from a terrible situation to an even more terrible one, and they were thrown out into the world trying to do the best they could. They learn through experience. Often this is not a good thing. This leads to a lot of people trying to take advantage of you, as well as bad situations.”

Suspected abuse can be reported by calling 800-442-4918. Anyone interested in fostering or adopting a child can call 800-665-5437.

Originally published: October 22, 2024 5:11 am

Abuse by foster parents in California is worse than abuse by biological parents – The Mercury News

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