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Published 15:51 24 Jul 2026 GMT
After 16 children, some with severe injuries, were rescued from a squalid home, four people, believed to be their parents and grandparents, have been charged with 17 counts of child endangerment.
The children, aged between one-and-a-half and 18, were discovered inside a crumbling house by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio on June 30, and were described to be "kept in worse conditions than livestock”.
Law enforcement officers described the scene as “pure evil”, while Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson told a news conference they were found in “conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in.”
Tragically, he added: “Some of these children couldn’t even speak.”
The area the children were held captive in for “most of the last four years” was reportedly no larger than 12 by 12 feet and had a high presence of human excrement.
The house they were found in, which is believed to belong to a deceased owner, was in such terrible condition that the children were “literally about to fall through the floor,” according to Wilson.
Heartbreakingly, the children had suffered such “serious physical harm” that two had to be flown to specialist trauma centres, while another seven were taken to Columbus Hospitals, with one admitted to the ICU and intubated.
The children's father, Gary Siders Jr., 36, mother Elizabeth Siders, 33, and grandparents Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 77, were arrested and charged with 16 counts of child endangerment. However, they have all since pleaded not guilty.
In the latest update, a firefighter who responded to the scene has revealed even more harrowing details about the state in which the children were found.
Captain with the Hamden Volunteer Fire Department, Jeremiah Griffith, was one of the first emergency responders on the scene after cops uncovered the hidden children.
He told The Columbus Dispatch: "Just the situation in whole was shocking."
Recalling the journey he made to the hospital with four of the children in the back, Griffith remembers them being thin and covered in scratches and bug bites.
He said the kids were: "covered in bugs and squatting and had that like distant look in their eyes.
"It was a terrible situation," Griffith said. "And children are innocent. You hate to see when they're hurt."
Griffith recalls thinking: “This is terrible. They looked like almost feral animals. It was terrible. So when we’re talking reading, writing and education, we’re talking a whole other level of expectations here. It’s hard enough just to get these kids to be able to – the 18-year-old can’t spell her name."
The 16 neglected children are now in county custody and are expected to be put in "therapeutic foster care,", according to Joel Potts, the Chief Government and External Affairs Officer for the Ohio Department of Children and Youth.
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Published 10:42 02 Jul 2026 GMT
After 16 children, some with severe injuries, were rescued from a home full of excrement, four people, believed to be their parents and grandparents, have been charged with 17 counts of child endangerment.
The children, aged between one-and-a-half and 18, were discovered inside a crumbling house by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio on Tuesday, June 30, and were described to be "kept in worse conditions than livestock”.
Law enforcement officers described the scene as “pure evil”, while Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson told a news conference they were found in “Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in.”
Tragically, he added, “Some of these children couldn’t even speak.”
The area the children were held captive in for “most of the last four years” was reportedly no larger than 12 by 12 feet and had a high presence of human excrement.
The house they were found in, which is believed to belong to a deceased owner, was in such terrible condition that the children were “literally about to fall through the floor”, according to Wilson.
Heartbreakingly, the children had suffered such “serious physical harm” that two had to be flown to specialist trauma centres, while another seven were taken to Columbus Hospitals, with one admitted to the ICU and intubated.
Although the neglected brood were only thought to have been held in the decrepit Ohio property for four years, it is presumed that they had been mistreated and kept captive for the majority of their short lives, as the 18-year-old could not spell her own name and many of the others were completely mute.
According to WBNS, neighbours told authorities that they were completely unaware of any children living in the home and believed that the adults who were keeping them captive were not locals and appeared to be travelling.
The neglected children were only discovered by local law enforcement while investigating another crime entirely.
While officials have not yet commented on the relationship between the children, they did confirm it was not a case of human trafficking, and the four adults responsible for their neglect have been cited as parents and grandparents, so it is assumed that they are a large group of siblings.
Since their arrest on Tuesday, Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders of Hamden, Ohio, entered not guilty pleas at a digital hearing.
Each sickening adult faces a minimum of two to eight years and a maximum of 12 years in prison for each of the 17 charges.
Published 09:44 21 Jul 2026 GMT
On June 30, 16 children, aged between one-and-a-half and 18, were discovered and rescued after spending at least four years “kept in worse conditions than livestock”, and their responsible adults were arrested in Ohio.
Nearly a month after the disturbing discovery, it has been revealed that the twisted family had another home just 16 kilometres away that was left in a similarly stomach-churning condition.
Legal records show that between 2020 and 2024, the Siders family lived at an address in Gallia County, about 16 kilometres south of Hamden, where the “feral children” were discovered.
Investigators said the Siders family “bounced around” often before settling in Hamden in Vinton County, roughly 80 miles southeast of Columbus.
Heartbreakingly, the children had suffered such “serious physical harm” that two had to be flown to specialist trauma centres, while another seven were taken to Columbus Hospitals, with one admitted to the ICU and intubated.
The children's father, Gary Siders Jr., 36, mother Elizabeth Siders, 33, and grandparents Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 77, were arrested and charged with 16 counts of child endangerment. However, they have all since pleaded not guilty.
A neighbour who lived next to the Siders in Gallia County, Melissa Edmonds, told local news outlet WSYX that she never really saw the children or four adults who were keeping them captive.
She said: “We did not know they had even left for quite a while.
“It was kind of just an empty house, I guess, left a message and not really in that great of condition.”
However, the former neighbour did recall one summer that her young nephew interacted with the children. Edmonds said: “My sister-in-law told me that their kids had talked to them, but they didn’t know them either.
“They didn’t hang out with him or anything. Possibly in 2021 or summer 2022, somewhere in that area.
Although it has not been determined when the Siders family officially left the Gallia County property, records show that it was bought by a new owner last May, but was found in an obscene condition.
A local builder who was called on to renovate the abandoned property, Bruce Gullick, described the condition he found the house in to WSYX. He explained: “A lot of kids’ clothes in the attic stuffed away like someone was living up there.
“The whole entire house was just urine, human and pet feces, so it was pretty tough.”
Published 12:12 07 Jul 2026 GMT
A relative of the 16 children found in a feces-filled rural Ohio home made a shocking admission about the discovery.
More details have emerged about the horrific situation, as the adults responsible for the kids have been arrested on child felony charges.
The children were found in a 12 x 12 room which was crumbling, with all 16 aged between one-and-a-half and 18.
After being found by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio on Tuesday (June 30), they were described as being "kept in worse conditions than livestock”.
As a result of the awful conditions, the children suffered “serious physical harm,” resulting in two being sent to specialist trauma centres, while another seven were taken to Columbus Hospitals, with one admitted to the ICU and intubated.
Now, a relative said they were not aware that there were 16 of the "almost feral" children living in the tiny home.
Authorities found the children, aged between one and 18 years old, living at the family’s neglected Vinton County home last week.
Ohio Authorities have arrested and charged four family members after discovering the children in the rural home.
These suspects include the parents, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, as well as the grandparents, Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 67.
Ronnie Fletcher, who is married to the grandparents' adult daughters, said while they knew the couple had a large family, he only believed there were 10 children.
Speaking to local news outlet WOWK 13, he admitted that he only learned of the 16 children when news of the arrests broke.
He explained that the news left the extended family “horrified” and “worried about the kids,” adding: “It’s been awful for the people that had no idea that was going on [in] the house that are related to this family.”
Fletcher claimed that relatives would have got involved if they knew what was really happening, saying: “If we would have known that it was like that in that home, we would have done something about it – even if it was just to go there and take the kids ourselves or give them money.”
But it had been almost seven years since Fletcher and his wife knew where her relatives were living, as the suspects kept the family at "arms-length."
He said: “We might have known whereabouts, like in a county or in a spot, [but] most of the time we felt like that wasn’t really the truth.”
"The last time we heard from them, we gave them a car, and that’s probably close to a year ago now – other than Lynn [Christina] calling us and asking for money or [saying] they needed help with the water bill," adding that they found out about the existence of the decrepit home on the news.
Fletcher said that at the time of the couple's oldest child's birth, around 18 years ago, the Siders raised children who became "successful members of society."
He went on: “I’ve known this family since grade school. I’ve been with their daughter for 20 years. Gary and Lynn did not raise their children that way.
“The four daughters that got out are successful members of society.”
“I can’t believe it because we always thought there was homeschooling going on,” Fletcher admitted.
“We knew they didn’t go to school, but we were always told they were being homeschooled.”
Rumors of "generational incest" have circulated online, as Fletcher further pointed out: “This is all in that one home.”
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson had also described the reported abuse as “intra-family.”
The children can barely communicate, with many found to be mute, say authorities.
Investigators said that the eldest child, 18, is developmentally disabled and struggles to write her own name.
The four suspects each pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of child endangerment on Wednesday (July 1), when a judge set their bail at $300,000 each.
If they are found guilty of all charges, each defendant could face a maximum sentence of up to 192 years behind bars.
Published 09:29 07 Jul 2026 GMT
More disturbing details have emerged a week after 16 children were found living in a tiny room in horrific conditions in Ohio.
The children, aged between one-and-a-half and 18, were discovered inside a crumbling house by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio on Tuesday, June 30, and were described as being "kept in worse conditions than livestock”.
Heartbreakingly, the children had suffered such “serious physical harm” that two had to be flown to specialist trauma centres, while another seven were taken to Columbus Hospitals, with one admitted to the ICU and intubated.
Andy Wilson, Ohio’s attorney general, described the 12-foot by 12-foot room the children were held in as “almost indescribable.”
“It really looked third world. It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America,” he added.
The children's father, Gary Siders Jr., 36, mother Elizabeth Siders, 33, and grandparents Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 77, were arrested and charged with 16 counts of child endangerment. They have all since pleaded not guilty.
Since the children were discovered and the four arrests were made, more horrifying details about the family have come to light.
The siblings’ mother Elizabeth’s attorney Thomas Stolly told the Associated Press that Elizabeth married Gary II in 2008, when she was just 15, and their eldest daughter was born just two months later.
As she was underage, both her parents, Brian Russell and Lori Ann Russell, would have had to sign the marriage certificate, as would Gary Jr’s parents, the Siders.
The elder Siders are believed to have four daughters who are "quite a bit older" than Gary Jr. The women did not remain in close contact with their parents and were shocked when they learned about the hidden children and subsequent arrests.
Ronnie Fletcher, the husband of one of Siders Sr. and Christina’s daughters, claimed his family was completely unaware of the horrific conditions at the Ohio home and only learned about the arrests through news reports.
Fletcher told WOWK-TV he was “Horrified. Worried about the kids.”
“It’s hard to explain the action when you’re distant family. What can I do to help? That was the original reaction to it,” he added.
The estranged son-in-law described his and his wife’s relationship with the Siders as “distant family” because the relatives had not seen each other in over eight years.
Published 14:24 06 Jul 2026 GMT
Almost a week after 16 children, some with severe injuries, were rescued from a home full of excrement and their parents and grandparents were charged with 16 counts of child endangerment, a judge has issued a serious warning to the defendants.
The children, aged between one-and-a-half and 18, were discovered inside a crumbling house by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio on Tuesday, June 30, and were described as being "kept in worse conditions than livestock”.
At the scene, dad Gary Siders Jr, 36, mom Elizabeth Siders, 33, and grandparents Gary Siders Sr, 73, and Christina Siders, 77, were arrested and charged with 16 counts of child endangerment, but they have all since pleaded not guilty.
Law enforcement officers described the scene as “pure evil”. At the same time, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson told a news conference they were found in “conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in.”
Heartbreakingly, the children had suffered such “serious physical harm” that two had to be flown to specialist trauma centres, while another seven were taken to Columbus Hospitals, with one admitted to the ICU in a serious condition.
Although the neglected brood were only thought to have been held in the decrepit Ohio property for four years, it is presumed that they had been mistreated and kept captive for the majority of their short lives, as the 18-year-old could not spell her own name and many of the others were completely mute.
At the court hearing on July 1, all the responsible adults pleaded not guilty, and in response, Vinton County’s Judge Laina Fetherolf Rogers issued them a grave warning.
According to the Associated Press, she said: “They [prosecutors] are asking that you have no contact with your co-defendants – that means each other. I presume the jail will keep you from having contact with the other two co-defendants if you remain in jail.
“No contact with the alleged victims of the offence; and if you are released, that you be fitted with a GPS monitor at state’s expense.”
Explaining what the different pleas could mean for the alleged abusers, Rodgers said: “You have four pleas available to you. A plea of guilty is a complete admission of your guilt. A not guilty plea is a complete denial of your guilt. A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is an admission to the facts that underlie the complaint.
“If you plead no contest, the state would give me a statement of facts, and it would be up to the court to determine whether or not you were guilty of the charged offences based on those facts.”
The judge also confirmed that all four bonds are set at $300,000 and each charge could land a prison sentence of two to eight years. If each of the four family members is found guilty on all counts, they could face 192 years in prison individually.
