The 13 siblings were discovered shackled and starving at their home in Perris California almost two weeks ago after a 17-year-old managed to escape and call police for help.
Detectives investigating the horrific crimes say the children were denied food, basic hygiene and medical care and were punished for perceived infractions such as washing their hands above the wrist.
They were allowed to shower only once a year and were chained for weeks or even months at a time, not released even to use the bathroom.
Six of the children are minors, including the 17-year-old girl who police initially believed to be 10, and seven were over the age of 18.
The siblings have been treated in a medical facility for their release, where they have also undergone DNA testing to ensure they are all related and not kidnapping victims.
But now they could be split up, after the six children were told they will be divided between two foster homes.
The seven adults, who have developmental issues and are unable to look after themselves, will be sent to an assisted living facility.
The younger children, aged between two and 17 years old, pleaded with authorities to stay as a family – and police have recorded the siblings have a particularly special bond due to their imprisonment.
Experts say the siblings would likely be left with permanent physical and emotional damage, such as anxiety and depression, as well as issues around food.
“When the brain is starved of proteins and other building blocks, brain development is going to be impacted,” Dr. Richard Pan, a paediatrician who is a Democratic state senator from the Sacramento area, said.
On Thursday, prosecutors said the siblings were severely malnourished, specifically having suffered muscle wasting, and some had suffered cognitive impairment and nerve damage as a result of the prolonged abuse.
The younger children could begin growing again once their nutrition improves but may never reach their full heights.
Those who lost IQ might recover some of their intellect but not all of it, Dr Dean Blumberg, associate professor of paediatrics at the University of California said.
The parents are accused of starving, torturing and chaining their 13 children to their beds for years.
David Turpin, 57, and his wife Louise, 49, have been charged with 12 counts of torture, seven counts of abuse on a dependent adult, 12 counts of false imprisonment and six counts of child abuse.
The pair denied all charges against them – and could face the rest of their lives in jail if found guilty at a trial.