‘They must visit their parents’: Kidnap victim says ‘House of Horrors’ Turpin children should be allowed to see their parents in prison
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A kidnapping victim held captive in a cellar for eight years has advice for the 13 California children recently rescued from their abusive home: She wants them to talk to their parents in order to heal from the abuse.

The Independent reports that Natascha Kampusch was 10 years old when she was kidnapped in 1998 in Austria. Held captive until 2006, she escaped while her kidnapper, Wolfgang Přiklopil, took a phone call while cleaning out his car.

Kampusch experienced years of abuse that’s similar to what the 13 Turpin children reportedly endured. For instance, she cleaned and cooked for her abuser while he starved her and physically abused her. As CrimeOnline previously reported, authorities found most of the Turpin victims emaciated and suffering from severe malnutrition.

Officers found several of the Turpin children shackled to furniture and lying in their own feces and urine. The victims’ parents, David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were arrested earlier this month in Perris, and charged with numerous counts of child abuse and torture.

Kampusch, who wrote a book about her ordeal, entitled, “3,096 Days,” didn’t get the chance to confront her own kidnapper, as he killed himself shortly after learning authorities were looking for him. Yet, she feels that the Turpin children must see their parents face-to-face in order to move on from the abuse they lived with.

“The children will need closure in order to move forward, so yes, they need the opportunity to see their parents, even if it is just to say, ‘I hate you, you are a monster.'”

The home where Natascha Kampusch was held captive for eight years in Austria. [Photo: Priwo/ Wiki Commons]
Kampusch added that once the siblings confront their parents, they will need to forgive them or let them go and never look back. She said it’s the beginning of the healing process for the victims, who reportedly had to live with the abuse and neglect for numerous years.

“It will help them begin a process where they can cope with the whole situation and get more stable.”

She also indicated that the siblings should stick together, as the world, which they didn’t have the opportunity to explore, will be “difficult” for them.

“The world will be a confusing and difficult place for them. For me, it was hard. Austria is a small country and I stayed because my family was here. America is huge and everyone speaks the same language, so it should be easier for them to move somewhere new and start a new life.”

[Feature Photo: Turpin Family/Handout]