Four Ohio Family Members Charged After 16 Children Found in "Conditions You Cannot Even Imagine"
Four members of a southern Ohio family were arraigned Wednesday on felony child endangerment charges after authorities removed 16 children from a small rural home in Hamden, a village in Vinton County, where officials say the children had been living in conditions that left investigators shaken.
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and the Vinton County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at the home Tuesday. All four adults were charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangering. Each pleaded not guilty at Wednesday's arraignment, and bond was set at $300,000 per person.
Who Was Charged
The four defendants are Gary Siders Sr., 73; Christina Siders, 67; Gary Siders Jr., 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33. Prosecutors described them as the grandparents and parents of the children. Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said at a press briefing Wednesday that this is not a human trafficking case but an "intra-family situation."
What Authorities Found
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described the home as "disgusting," saying it contained human feces and that the children appeared to have been confined to a roughly 12-by-12-foot room for close to four years. "Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children," Cain said at Wednesday's press conference.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, who said he could not get the smell of the home out of his memory, described the scene in stark terms. "Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in," Wilson said. He added that some of the children could not speak and that several required immediate medical treatment. All 16 children were taken to area hospitals following the search.
The children range in age from approximately 18 months to 18 years old. The oldest is included among those named in the charges because officials believe the child is developmentally still functioning as a minor.
How the Case Developed
Wilson said the investigation had been ongoing for some time before Tuesday's search warrant was executed. The family had lived in Vinton County for approximately four years and had been mobile before that. "They were pretty adept at keeping these kids out of sight and out of investigative eyes," Wilson said. None of the children were enrolled in school. Neighbors told local media they had no idea so many children were living in the home.
Where Things Stand
All 16 children are now in the care of Vinton County Children Services, according to officials. The four adults remain in custody pending further court proceedings. Second-degree felony child endangering in Ohio carries a sentence of two to eight years per count. With 16 counts each, the defendants face potentially significant prison time if convicted.
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