“If you see something, say something”

Many are asking how such a thing could go unnoticed by neighbors, 13 children shackled and starved by their parents. How could neighbors not know what was going on?

Neighbors say they were shocked to hear the news. One neighbor said they had noticed some of the children were skinny, describing them as “super skinny, not athletic skinny but malnourished.”

Read: Detectives examine Perris house where 13 children were abused

Mika Moulton, the head of local non-profit “Christopher’s Clubhouse,” which teaches children safety said she wasn’t surprised to hear that neighbors were shocked. Which is why she says, it’s important for neighbors to speak up if something’s suspicious

“It’s so hard for all of us. ‘We don’t want to stir the pot, we don’t want to poke the bear. We want to make sure that we don’t want to be embarrassed that we were wrong or have somebody be mad at us for reporting,'” Moulton said.

County officials said mandated child abuse reporters are required to fill out a follow-up written report within 36 hours of calling the child abuse hotline.

“If you see something, say something. There are places you can contact. You can ask for a welfare check on the family,” Mouton said. “You can say you’re uncomfortable with what’s going on, what you’ve seen, you don’t know and it’s better to say something than to not.”

Read: Perris couple arrest highlights lack of private school oversight

According to officials with the Department of Public Social Services, more than 58,000 calls were placed into their child abuse hotline in 2017. More than 6,500 calls were found to be true.

If you would like to report what you believe is an abusive situation, you can click here for adults and here for children.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin is expected to hold at a news conference Thursday morning regarding this case.