Last week, it was revealed that thirteen siblings were found chained and starved in their Southern California home after one attempted to escape. Although the children all appeared to be in their teens or younger due to poor nutrition, it was recently revealed that the children spanned in age from two years old up to the age of 29.
Although the children were homeschooled, it was revealed that at least two of them did attend regular school at some point. Taha Muntajibuddin recently came forward on social media to state that he went to third grade with Jennifer Turpin, though it is unclear what year or how old Turpin is now. Because her name was released, however, it is thought that she is over the age of 18. The former classmate also identifies himself as a pediatrician, meaning she is likely one of the oldest siblings.
Taha Muntajibuddin stated that he went to elementary school with the girl in Fort Worth, Texas, and that she was the kid designated for the others to pick on. She was often bullied for her poor hygiene, having been dubbed the “smelly” kid.
He also shared a memory that the class made fun of Jennifer Turpin after the teacher asked her to throw away a hair tie she was wearing, which was made from an old Hershey’s bar wrapper.
Turpin family home was ‘littered with faeces and dead cats and “dogs’ https://t.co/UkBX72zXqj
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 21, 2018
The former classmate stated that he often searched for Jennifer on social media, stating that she was pulled out of school the next year and that no one really mentioned her again.
However, when it was revealed that she was one of the children starved and abused in the family, he held a deep sense of guilt. He had hoped Jennifer Turpin was somewhere with a successful life, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“That’s what I had hoped for Jennifer. That she had used the insults that we hurled at her, the isolation we provided for her, and the ill-looks we gave her and used it as ammunition to forge a successful path in life. I was so sure that was what had happened.”
This isn’t the first time a former classmate has stated they remember members of the Turpin family. Another young woman has stepped forward, saying she was in classes with one of the older Turpin boys at a local community college. According to her, he was not very well-developed for his age and was seen talking to himself in the school hallway. She also testified to Radar Online that he didn’t smell very good .
She approached him and tried to be friendly. She says she later witnessed his mother, Louise Turpin, picking him up from school. The boy asked if he could be friends with his classmate and his mother seemed unbothered.
He never returned to the class.
