“I THOUGHT PEOPLE HAVING FRIENDS WAS FAKE.” — TURPIN SURVIVOR SENDS HEARTBREAKING WARNING TO 16 OHIO CHILDREN RESCUED FROM “HOUSE OF HORRORS”

She knows something most people will never understand.

She knows what it feels like to grow up inside a home where the outside world barely exists.

She knows what it feels like when ordinary things—fresh air, a conversation, a friend, even a simple “How are you?”—can feel completely unfamiliar.

And now, after hearing what authorities say they discovered inside an Ohio home, Julissa Turpin is speaking directly from her own experience.

Her message to the 16 children rescued from the property is heartbreaking:

The road ahead may be incredibly difficult.

But…

Healing is possible.

Julissa was one of 13 siblings rescued from the infamous Turpin family home in California in 2018.

Eight years later, she is looking back at the life she had to rebuild after escaping years of abuse and isolation.

And the similarities between her childhood and what authorities say they discovered in Ohio are deeply disturbing.

In Hamden, Ohio, authorities say 16 children, ranging from about 18 months to 18 years old, were found living in horrific conditions inside a cramped 12-by-12-foot room.

Investigators described extreme filth and severe neglect.

Officials said some of the children had extremely limited communication abilities.

And authorities warned that the situation was so dangerous that waiting even another day could potentially have resulted in one or more deaths.

But perhaps the most painful part isn’t what happened inside that house.

It’s what happens after the rescue.

Because escaping the nightmare is only the beginning.

Julissa understands that.

She remembers how strange normal life felt after leaving her family’s home.

She said even hearing someone casually ask “How are you?” felt confusing because it was something she had never experienced regularly from an adult in her childhood.

She also remembered believing the idea of having friends was almost something invented for movies.

Imagine that.

A child growing up without understanding that friendship is real.

Without understanding what a normal childhood looks like.

Without knowing what it feels like to simply breathe fresh air and feel safe.

Julissa remembers the moment she finally experienced that freedom.

She described being able to see a tree and breathe fresh air as feeling like heaven.

Now she wants the Ohio children to know something she herself had to learn the hard way:

Freedom doesn’t instantly erase trauma.

You can leave the house…

but the memories can follow you.

You can be physically safe…

while still learning what safety actually feels like.

You can be surrounded by people…

and still have no idea how to trust them.

That’s why Julissa’s message is so powerful.

She isn’t promising these children that everything will suddenly become normal.

She is telling them something more realistic:

It may take time.

It may be painful.

It may be confusing.

But they can heal.

The Ohio case has already shocked the nation.

Four adults connected to the family have been charged with child endangerment and have pleaded not guilty. Authorities have also stressed that the case is not being investigated as human trafficking.

And while investigators continue working through the case, the 16 children are now in protective care.

For the first time, their lives are no longer confined to that home.

But now comes the enormous challenge:

How do you teach a child about the world after the world was kept away from them?

How do you teach them friendship?

School?

Trust?

Independence?

Love?

How do you explain that strangers can be kind?

That someone can ask “Are you okay?” and actually mean it?

That they are allowed to have dreams?

That they are allowed to laugh?

That they are allowed to feel safe?

Julissa Turpin knows those lessons don’t happen overnight.

Her own healing took years.

But she is living proof that a life after unimaginable trauma can still exist.

And perhaps that is the message these 16 children need most right now.

Not pity.

Not judgment.

Not the labels that have already surrounded their story.

But patience.

Protection.

Therapy.

Education.

Love.

And time.

They didn’t choose the childhood they were given.

But now, for the first time, they may finally have a chance to choose what comes next.

Julissa Turpin survived her “house of horrors.” Now she is looking toward 16 children in Ohio and saying, in essence: “It will be hard. But you can heal.”

And maybe someday, one of those children will look back at this moment and realize:

The rescue wasn’t the end of their story.

It was the beginning.