. this is "nightline". >> tonight starved and shackled, this seemingly happy couple now under arrest. allegedly abusing their 13 children aged 2 to 29 for years. >> being chained to a bed, malnourished and injuries, i would call it torture. >> police say their 17-year-old daughter was so sickly they thought she was just ten years old. the family stunned neighbors on what they saw. >> everyone was super skinny not athletic skinny, like malnourished skinny. plus the talk. a conversation black families are having across america. >> i fear i'm possibly going to die before i even turn 18. >> parents teaching teenagers about what can be deadly police

bias and black law enforcement answering to the community. >> we have some major issues that are not being touched right now. >> nightline will be right back. being touched right now. >> night line will be right back. it's just my eczema again,t. but it's fine. yeah, it's fine. you ok? eczema. it's fine. hey! hi! aren't you hot? eczema again? it's fine. i saw something the other day. eczema exposed. your eczema could be

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suburb where a 17-year-old girl lept through a window and called 911. when police arrived they found 12 more children aged 2 to 29 some chained to the furniture, severely malnourished and living in squalor. what we're learning tonight. >> a quiet suburb in california. >> you never know that could be happening in your neighborhood. >> you think it should be safe for your children and family. >> crazy you never know who your neighbors are. >> a community rocked to its core. a chilling discovery in a home in southern california. >> 13 siblings living in deplorable conditions tortured by their parents. >> after that alleged house of horrors was uncovered, 13 siblings reported to be living in dungeon-like conditions, severely mal nourished living in squalor, some shackled to furniture. their parents louise and david turpin let out in hand cuffs. the startling discovery happened

on sunday morning when one of the children, a 17-year-old girl escaped and called 911 using a deactivated cellphone. >> deputies responded and met with that 17-year-old nearby. >> police units swarmed and inside discovered the remaining children ages 2 to 29. >> the children were malnourished. it was very dirty and the conditions were horrific. >> seven of those children they discovered were adults ranging from 18 to 29 but looked so much younger investigators say because they were so emaciated. >> you could imagine being 17 years old and appearing to be 10 year old being chained to a bed, malnourished and issues associated with that, i would call that torture.

>> a neighbor described seeing them come out. >> they were very pale skin, almost like they never seen the sun. >> the doctor treating the adults say they have likely been enduring this for years. >> when we first saw them everybody thought they were children >> >> even the 29 years old. >> specifically the 29-year-old. she has a body of under developments. 15 years old. >> 29-year-old has a body of an under-developed 15-year-old. >> yes. >> authorities say they never received any calls about the welfare of the turpin children the family has lived in this town since 2014. the children were home schooled. david turpin principal of the sand castle day school, registered at the same address the entire school body his children the california department of education said in a statement -- we are sickened by this tragedy and relieved that the children are safe and authorities are

investigating. under current california law cde does not approve, monitor or inspect or oversee private schools. >> this community in perris, california is known as the crown jewel of this little town, the kind of place where people play in the street and keep the lawn manicured. and neighbors talk to neighbors but what's so shocking behind closed doors in one of these homes this horror was unfolding and neighbors say they had no idea what was happening. >> some neighbors told us they never even knew children lived at the house. others only caught a glimpse of them at night. >> do you recognize any of the people in these pictures? >> no. >> did you know there were kids living in that house? >> not at all. >> nothing. >> no. >> you said one night you saw something strange on the street. >> yes. >> what was is that? >> we went out for a night walk with the dogs. we were coming up to the yard and noticed it was 9:00 at night and noticed four children on

their knees rolling out sod. >> they'd all come out and have to mow the lawn together and then they'd all go in. >> david's parents telling abc news that they had no knowledge of the allegations made and david had so many children because god called on them to. and these photos show a seemingly happy family. there were vacations, trips to disneyland. the couple has been married for over 30 years. >> i take thee louise. >> they recently renewed their vows at the elvis chapel. their children in identical outfits and haircuts. >> they sang with me. had fun. seemed to be happy. all of them. >> kent ripley said he has officiated turpin's vow renewals three times over the years.

>> they were well behaved children didn't seem abused or out of line. david and louise seemed like they cared. david broke down with tears here and there. other than being a big family, normal family. >> husband and wife. >> he says he never saw this coming. >> it's very erie and sickening. it makes you angry no one should treat anyone like that, nobody. >> over the past years shocking similar forries of abuse and captivity have disturbed the nations. between 2002-2004, three women all individually were kidnapped by arrow castro the three women chained for weeks and imprison the until may 2013 one escaping with her six-year-old daughter and contacting police. castro plead the guilty to 937 countdowns of kidnapping, rape and other crimes and later committed suicide in prison. >> another place with strong

parallels in 2003 in new jersey, raymond and vanessa jackson arrested after a neighbor found their adopted son rumaging through garbage cans for food. >> he would hit us with broom and sticks. >> the severely malnourished issued he gained 95 pounds after being removed from the home. seeing here testifying against his adopted mother, vanessa who eventually pleaded guilty and sentenced to 13 years of prison. the 13 turpin children will continue to be looking for physical and sexual abuse, medical negligent, information, what kind of torture was it primarily physical, both

physical and emotional. >> tonight david and louise turpin in jail under arrest for multiple accounts for alleged torture and child endangerment each on $9 million bail. >> hopefully as many of the children that can be kept together will be kept together to dismiss that sense of isolation and abandonment. >> for now their children will be housed in the same unit together while investigators try to figure out exactly what happened inside that house. for "nightline" i'm matt gutman in perris, california. next here it's the private conversation black families have been having for years. how these teens and parents confront fears of police brutality. ♪ fears of police brouillette. brutality.

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♪ all because of you ♪ ♪ ♪ it it is a disturbing american point many black parents find themselves giving their children the talk. not the talk about the birds and bees but about racism and risk of police brutality. we follow two families who say these are issues force teens to grow up far too soon. >> sometimes it's an unrelenting stream of stories. >> growing outrage over deadly shooting of two black men.

>> police officers open fire on an unarmed football player. >> cellphone video seen around the world. >> but men unarmed shot dead by police drawing attention to what's been called the talk. >> it's opportunity to ask questions. the uncomfortable questions. >> the need for a meaning of the and national discussion has inspired workshops like this run by national organization of black law enforcement. >> the goal is to have the conversation by allowing families to talk directly to law enforcement. >> we have major issues not being touched right now. >> it's century-old conversation, how to navigate complicated color-conscious nation when you are black. . >> my mom would have the talk with me all the time.

>> america hates you. >> for 19-year-old winston harris it is more than a tv episode it is his life. he watched horrified as this video of his friend shot and killed by a police officer. >> police don't tell me jesus he's gone. >> in his friend's face winston sees his own. >> as each shot rang out i could feel it, not like actually each time just bang, bang, bang, i could just feel it. >> cross town another teen, 16-year-old. >> it hurts because my life just seems like it is nothing. in the united states. >> turning to the modern teens diary facebook, a great post. >> committee can't even go outside without being scared. >> bhoej in middle class neighborhoods, american dream still pal able but living in a

country they will be judged by the color of their skin not the content of their clarkt. >> whcharacter. >> raising a black child in america at times can be frightening. >> her best efforts of shielding him don't make her son immune to reality. >> honestly i am a little scared unsettling. >> i am only 15 years old. i fear i'm possibly going to die before i even turn 18. >> what do you think of some of the unique burdens of being a parent to a black child, particularly a black boy. >> safety. i always have to worry about his safety. i believe he's prejudged before people get to know him because it's how it's programmed in society. >> i know it's a view this pa paranowia. >> the pain and suffering of

african-american historically is not really engender broad-sweeping empathy. i think what racism has done is it has stripped african-american people from being beings to being things. >> he says kd stemming from lives lost on video. 32-year-old kimmed in the car with his girlfriend and daughter. there was elton sterling. and rice, too many others, faces who may not have made the news in these cases many of the officer who's killed them went free without a conviction. >> it's like well, whose next. >> ej's father mike knows there's only so much he can control. >> you feel powerless. like you can't do anything about it. >> he feels his life isn't valued.

it's your fault america. it pisses me off. >> conversations she says families must have. >> topic of teaching kids how to talk to cops. the white manager said no why do i have to talk to my kid s about that. i'm like exactly why should i have to talk to my son about that. the double standard in the united states sickens me. it really does. >> i wish you knew how it felt to feel like your child is an endangered species, literally. >> mike isn't alone. >> we've been inundated with requests for this program. >> they heard about the one event in philly, a workshop hosted by black police officers. >> we're here in the thousands over 2,000 times in the last few years. >> law enforcement attempting to tackle these questions through interactive demonstrations. they set up a routine traffic stop.

>> ma'am will you roll down the window excuse me sir i'm talking to the driver. >> but many felt it was scenario. >> that was great but i'm concerned about the person losing their life because a cop said i was afraid. >> someone can drive away without losing their lives that's a good thing that kbaent the anywhere attive. this can't be the norm. we have major issues not touched right now. >> you're talking about issues that i look just like you. i'm a mother. i've been a police officer for 27 years. you want something to be changed be part of it. >> you said even people who carry the badge had they get pulled over get nervous that's systemic issue this is em broiling black communities all over the country. >> there's still so much left unsaid but the workshop perhaps

a small step towards understanding. >> i don't want to be what it is and then not do anything. i don't like people that do that. i'm going to talk about it i'm going to be about it. >> i just gained more understanding of being a cop. >> just one of the lessons winston is taking with him in his new chapter as a freshman at temple university. >> when i was his age going off to college my mom and i would have lots of conversation s about staying alive. >> going through high school and middle school never had that conversation with them. it's not until he entered college and hearing all of the reports and knowing the type of environment he was coming into which he wasn't used to. he's not like a shift person. so the conversation shifted preparing him to come to college. >> wihe worried cop might look past his boyish face and see him a as a problem. >> they just look wrong they will

stop scand where been going. >> you ever been stop bid the police. >> no i hope i never get stopped either. >> still winston eager to step out and be a man. >> you date sng. >> no. >> i used to tell him i'm your girlfriend until your 35. ha, ha. >> in north philly e jrks wants the opportunity to just be a kid. >> i should be thinking about i'm going to go to this party. not a cop will shoot me in the head. >> when i was your age i thought a lot about dieing as a young black man and was obsessed by that notion. >> i try to stay positive but what's going to happen tomorrow. >> the questions and burdens of men far older than him. >> i want to stay alive so i can be there for them. >> this is not a new conversation in america. but rarely in our rich and sometimes rocky history has it felt more urgent. for "nightline," i'm byron pitts

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finally tonight, last night's nba final rematch features kevin durant, steph curry and lebron james but the best moves on the court came from five-year-old tiny halftime guest star. ♪ ♪

>> he's amazing. thank you for watching "nightline" and as always we're online 24/7 on our "nightline" facebook page. thanks for watching, and good night.