Sister of Louise Turpin says witchcraft may have been part of abuse

In an interview for former KESQ reporter Matt Johnson’s podcast “True Crime Deadline” Louise Turpin’s sister Elizabeth Flores reveals never before heard details about the Turpin children’s treatment at home. Flores says she feared Louise engaged in witchcraft and wonders if it played a part in the abuse of the children.

“I told my cousin no one knew about the witchcraft expect for me,” said Louise’s sister Elizabeth, “and when I found out I told Louise I said I would watch that stuff that’s very serious stuff like I wouldn’t have that around my kids. She messed around with the Ouija board and snakes and the books, the witchcraft books and stuff like that.”

The Turpins became a national new story for keeping their 13 children, ranging in age from two to 29, imprisoned in their Perris home and denying them food. Elizabeth Flores says the kids were not starving.

“The kids got to eat every day, they just ate one meal,” said Flores.

Flores says financial hardship is part of the reason the family had trouble buying food.

“She was wasting her money and doing casinos and stuff,” said Flores. “And she was in a financial spot and I think they were having a hard time financially with groceries.”

Flores wants this tragic case to be a warning to other families, to always check signs of possible abuse because something like this could happen anywhere.

“If a family member comes to you and says they’re struggling financially start looking for signs that the kids are going hungry,” said Flores “If they say the kids are misbehaving start looking for signs that they might be mistreated. People get in their minds that it can never happen in my family or someone could never do this but that’s exactly what we thought about Louise”

For more of Matt’s stories, check out his website, http://www.truecrimedeadline.com/ .