California: 13 chained siblings rescued

Authorities in California have said that they rescued 13 malnourished siblings from a home in Perris, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles. Some of them were even allegedly chained to beds.

Police made the discovery after one of the captives, a 17-year-old girl, escaped over the weekend and notified the Riverside Sheriff's Department that her siblings "were being held captive inside the residence by her parents," reports the Independent.

"Deputies located what they believed to be 12 children inside the house but were shocked to discover that seven of them were actually adults. The victims appeared to be malnourished and very dirty," police said in a statement.

The siblings were aged between two and 29.

The children's parents, David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin, were arrested and each charged with nine counts of torture and 10 counts of child endangerment.

Furthermore, a bail was set at $9m (£6.5m). 

-ANI