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Published 13:15 27 Jul 2026 GMT
In the latest update since 16 children, some with severe injuries, were rescued from a squalid home and four people, their parents and grandparents, were charged with 17 counts of child endangerment, a lawyer has claimed the children were not found in a “feral state” as previously reported.
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 as being "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 noted that: “Some of these children couldn’t even speak.”
However, Tommy Stolly, the attorney of the children’s mother Elizabeth Siders, has recently spoken out against claims the children were “feral”, citing the fact that some of them had active social media accounts.
He argued that this “debunked the myth that these kids were almost feral,” on NewsNation’s Crime Time podcast.
He added: “The ones that were of appropriate age had social media pages. There’s evidence of that online now.”
Disputing original claims from Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, who described the children as looking “almost [like] feral animals”, Stolly claimed the kids could talk.
In defence of the adults who severely neglected the children, he said: “These kids could talk. They spoke when the police came in.
“If we’re talking about feral children, those are children who do not understand the world.
“If the kids can speak, I think that changes the analysis.”
When the children were found, heartbreakingly, they had suffered such “serious physical harm” that two had to be flown to specialist trauma centers, 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.
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.
While a major investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the discovery, it is a complicated case and expected to take some time.
Contrary to Stolly’s argument, the primary reason for the expected delay in prosecution is that the children are believed to have very limited communication skills, with some of the 16 children reportedly being completely mute.
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Published 13:15 25 Jul 2026 GMT
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The mom accused of keeping her 16 children in horrific conditions inside an Ohio home is pushing back against claims that her children were "feral".
Elizabeth Siders, 33, faces 16 counts of child endangerment after police rescued the children from a property in Vinton County on June 30.
The children, who range in age from one-and-a-half to 18, were discovered inside what investigators described as horrendous conditions after allegedly spending at least four years living in a cramped 12-by-12-foot room.
Three other family members were also arrested: the children's father, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and grandparents Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 66. All four have pleaded not guilty.
Speaking on Cuomo Crime Time with Chris Cuomo, Elizabeth's attorney Tommy Stolly rejected comments previously made by Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, who said some of the children "looked like almost feral animals".
"She absolutely disputes" those claims, Stolly said. "If we're talking about feral children, those are children who do not understand the world."
"This is very clearly a case where my client and the Siders family were living in extreme poverty."
Stolly said his client told him the children spoke with police after they were removed from the home and insisted they all "could talk," although he acknowledged he has not personally interviewed any of the children.
"If the kids can speak, I think that changes the analysis," he added.
His comments counter statements made by prosecutors and investigators, who previously said the children's communication abilities were severely limited.
Vinton County prosecutor William Archer said: "One of the investigative challenges is that (the children) are limited. They can communicate, but it's extremely limited and some not at all."
Officials have also said there is no evidence the children were ever enrolled in school, adding further challenges to the ongoing investigation.
Officials previously revealed that the kids had suffered such severe physical harm that two had to be airlifted to specialist trauma centres.
Another seven children were transported to hospitals in Columbus, with one admitted to intensive care and placed on a ventilator.
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described the conditions inside the home as "horrific" and said officers who responded to the scene were left "sickened by it."
"Our investigators will continue following the evidence wherever it leads," Cain said.
Authorities have also warned that the case is expected to take considerable time to prosecute because of the difficulties investigators face interviewing the children.
Court records show Siders Jr. has requested a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he is mentally competent to stand trial.
His attorney argued that the evaluation should take place before the criminal proceedings continue and asked that supporting mental health documents remain sealed.
Meanwhile, recently released jail surveillance footage showed Elizabeth shortly after her arrest.
Unlike the other family members, she was not handcuffed as she was escorted into the jail.
The clip also appeared to show her trembling while clutching her left arm during processing.
It's been reported that Elizabeth married Gary Jr. in 2008 when she was just 15 years old, and their eldest daughter was born two months later.
The mom, along with the three defendants, has been charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment.
Each count carries a prison sentence ranging from two to eight years, with a maximum of 12 years, meaning each defendant could face up to 192 years behind bars if convicted on every charge.
The two younger Siders and Christina remain in custody on $300,000 bond, while Siders Sr. was released on a recognizance bond after suffering a medical emergency.
Published 09:56 13 Jul 2026 GMT
Authorities have spoken out about social media users who have started speculating about the Siders family.
During an unrelated police raid, 16 children were found in a feces-filled rural home in Hamden, Ohio, in what is now widely known as the 'house of horrors' case.
Their living conditions were described as similar to the "third world," with the children aged between 18 months and 18 years old.
The harrowing discovery was made by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio on June 30.
In the weeks since, more details have emerged, as children were described as being "kept in worse conditions than livestock,” with some found to have suffered “serious physical harm.”
Four family members, said to be the children's parents and grandparents, Gary Siders Jr, 36, Elizabeth Siders, 33, Gary Siders Sr, 73, and Christina Siders, 67, have since been arrested and charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment.
But officials have now warned the public about speaking out about the case.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer addressed claims and rumors that are doing the rounds on social media, including the legitimacy of images and videos being shared of the rural home.
Speaking to the public, he stated that a lot of the content being shared is "not truthful and not accurate," warning of the potential effects on the 16 children involved.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson admitted that he "didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there" prior to the search as it is not "the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America."
He described the scene as "pure evil" and "disgusting," but the Siders' lawyers have since hit back at the "language" being used by authorities when speaking about the case.
They have reminded them and the public that the defendants are innocent until proven guilty, with officials simply suggesting what may have been going on at the home.
Many have been assuming what has happened themselves, while others have started to post doctored photos and videos of the children "caged up."
Archer said at a press conference on Wednesday (July 8): "Our office has specifically not addressed the factual nature of this case because it is still under investigation, there's a lot of information still out there,
"In fairness to the defendants, particularly to the victims and to the community - we're not releasing information until it's appropriate to do so," he said as per The Columbus Dispatch.
He went on: "If you've seen some of the stuff on social media - there were pictures of the kids in cages, caged up in houses.
"The problem with social media is you don't have to be telling the truth, you don't have to say that something is accurate."
"I don't understand why people put stuff like this on there. It's not truthful, it's not accurate," Archer admitted, suggesting it could be AI-generated.
"But I can't stop it. All I can do is shrug my shoulders and say, 'Why are we doing this to these victims?' They're going to be tarnished by this for a long part of their lives."
He confirmed that the children are "all safe and being cared for," since being found in the decrepit home two weeks ago.
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.
Published 10:10 10 Jul 2026 GMT
The attorney representing the mother accused in the Ohio "House of Horrors" case has disputed some of the claims circulating about the family.
Elizabeth Siders is one of four family members charged after police found 16 children inside a home in Hamden, Ohio.
She, along with her husband, Gary Siders Jr., and Gary Siders Sr., and Christina Siders, have been charged with 16 counts of child endangerment. All four have pleaded not guilty.
Speaking to WBNS10, Elizabeth's attorney, Tommy Stolley, shared details of his first meeting with his client and challenged how the case has been portrayed online.
"There's been no evidence to suggest that the children were locked or forced to remain in the 12 by 12 room. I think this is one of the things that's been really sensationalized by the internet."
Stolley said the mom told him that her kids had phones, with one of the older children using social media and even having "inside jokes."
"I think the big thing with that is it doesn't jive with the way that this case has been characterised in the public," Stolley said. "When you use language like feral kids, you're imagining people that have been isolated away from human contact."
"People who have never interacted with any sort of social media, with the internet, with humans outside of their own home, or even humans in general, who completely lack the ability to use language."
"There's nothing to suggest that that is the case here," he added.
Although Stolley said he had not met the children himself, he revealed the first question Elizabeth asked after he introduced himself "was about her kids" and whether they "were OK."
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The lawyer said he believes all 16 children, who range in age from 18 months to 18 years old, are Elizabeth's and Gary Jr.'s.
According to the attorney, Elizabeth "repeatedly" told him that she and her husband "wanted a big family."
"She said that kids are a gift from God and that she was open to that," he added.
It has previously emerged that the mom married Gary in 2008 when she was 15 years old and seven months pregnant.
Mason County records show her parents, Brian Ray Russell and Lori Ann Raines, consented to the marriage.
The latest developments come after Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer announced on Wednesday (July 8) that Siders Sr. had been released on a recognizance bond following a medical emergency while being transported to a preliminary hearing.
Archer said Siders "fell and had a medical issue that required treatment and assessment."
Doctors later determined he had a "serious medical condition" requiring treatment outside the county.
"We were not going to put that burden on our taxpayers, and so it was agreed that we would do a recognizance bond so he could get the medical treatment that the doctors say he needs and won't cost the county that money," Archer said. "If he's released from then, he will then be equipped with a GPS monitor."
A recognizance bond allows a defendant to be released from jail without paying cash bail.
Stolley has also filed a motion seeking to modify Elizabeth's $300,000 bond to a recognizance bond, arguing that she cannot afford to pay it.
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.
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