A couple living in Southern California was arrested after police found they shackled their 13 children to beds with chains and left them malnourished, China's news agency Xinhua reported.

David Allen Turpin, 56, and his wife, 49-year-old Louise Ann Turpin, who both live in Perris, a town 100km east of Los Angeles, were arrested Sunday on suspicion of committing multiple acts of torture and child abuse, according to a notification released Monday by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

An investigation was initiated Sunday morning after a 17-year-old girl fled from the suspects' residence, police said, adding that the victim used a mobile phone to call 911, reporting that her 12 brothers and sisters were imprisoned within the home. The girl further claimed some of her siblings were bound with chains and padlocks.

Local police and deputies from the sheriff's department went to the residence where the teenager escaped and then they were shocked by the scene.

"Further investigation revealed several children shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks in dark and foul-smelling surroundings," the notification disclosed.

"Deputies located what they believed to be 12 children inside the house, but were shocked to discover that seven of them were actually adults, ranging in age from 18 to 29."

The victims appeared to be "malnourished" and "very dirty," the notification said, adding that the victims have been sent to the hospital after being interviewed by detectives.

David and Louise Turpin were then booked for torture and child endangerment with a bail set at US$9 million each.

- Bernama