Two people are under arrest east of Los Angeles after police were shocked and sickened to find 12 of their children allegedly held captive in their home in filthy conditions.
The couple, David and Louise Turpin, are being held on $9 million bail while police investigate charges of torture and child endangerment.
Police were alerted to the situation in the house in Perris, California, by a 17 year-old girl who escaped and called them on a cell phone.
The officers say she was so malnourished, that she looked like a 10 year-old child instead of 17.
They found a house full of what they thought were 12 children, when some were actually adults between 18 and 29 years old.
Police say the youngest victim was two and some of the children were shackled to beds with chains and padlocks.
Officers describe the house as dark and foul-smelling. The victims were dirty and appeared to be starving.
Authorities say the couple ran a day school out of their home and were beset with financial problems in recent years.
A police statement said the parents did not give any logical reason why their children were being held in such appalling conditions.