Disturbing new footage from prison shows the moments after Elizabeth Siders, 33, the mother of 16 children who were found in a squalid Ohio home, was arrested alongside three of her family members for multiple charges of child endangerment.

Just hours after the 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” on June 30, their mother was seen being interrogated by authorities in an orange jumpsuit.

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, and grandparents Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 77, were also arrested and charged with counts of child endangerment. However, they have all since pleaded not guilty.

Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders have been handed child felony charges. Credit: Southeast Ohio Jail

The children's mother was not handcuffed when questioned

In the newly released surveillance footage, it was revealed that Elizabeth was the only family member not in handcuffs while she was escorted inside the jail.

While she was searched by law enforcement officers, Elizabeth appeared to be trembling while she was hunched over and gripping her left arm tightly with her right hand.

In a report by WSYX, an ABC-run local television station based in Columbus, Ohio, a legal expert explained that authorities should have spotted the signs of child neglect within the family a long time ago.

It was revealed that Elizabeth married Gary Jr. in 2008, when she was just 15, and their eldest daughter was born just two months later, leaving many members of the public fascinated by the case, claiming that she could have been indoctrinated by the Siders family.

The property the children were found in was falling apart. Credit: X / Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson

The defendants will face a lengthy prison sentence

As she was still a child herself when she had her first baby, legal expert Ron O'Brien claims this should have been a significant red flag for possible statutory rape, warranting questions and potentially a report to authorities.

All four face 16 counts each of second-degree felony child endangering, and every count carries a minimum sentence of two to eight years and a maximum of 12 years.

If convicted on all counts, each defendant faces up to 192 years in prison. They have all pleaded not guilty and are being held on $300,000 bond.

During a press conference just days after the gut-wrenching discovery, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson and Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain warned the public, who have been gripped by the case, that the investigation could take some time.

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 being completely mute.

Featured image credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

A lawyer has opened up on what it was like to speak to Elizabeth Siders, the mom in the Ohio 'house of horrors' case, where 16 children were found in conditions similar to the "third world."

The kids, aged between 18 months and 18 years old, were discovered in the feces-filled rural home by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio on June 30.

More details have emerged since the home was found in a horrific state, as the children were described as being "kept in worse conditions than livestock”.

The children were found in a 12-by-12 room which was crumbling, as investigators noted that the children had also suffered “serious physical harm.”

Investigators said that the crime was an "intrafamily" case, suggesting that some of the children in the house may have come from sexual relations within the family.

But now, a lawyer has opened up on what the mother of these kids was really like.

Gary Siders Jr. and and Elizabeth Siders have been handed child felony charges. Credit: Southeast Ohio Jail

Elizabeth Siders' lawyer spoke about meeting her

The attorney representing Elizabeth Siders has spoken out about how she was following her arrest.

His description surprisingly doesn't fit into the negative coverage of both her and her husband's parenting, as the attorney admitted she looked "distraught".

Thomas Stolly spoke with her for an hour and a half after she was taken into custody, telling Criminally Obsessed that she seemed "exhausted" during their meeting.

"I had no idea what I was walking into. I saw the same headlines everyone else did. At one point, the term 'pure evil' was used to describe Elizabeth and the home, and at another point, there was a comment that livestock had been treated better," he said on the show.

"I met a woman who was timid and who was exhausted. It looked like she had been crying quite a bit. She looked distraught. And she was willing to talk to me. Able to talk to me."

Why he didn't tell her about the case's coverage

Stolly said he left out the fact that the case was being heavily covered by the media, as he realised that she had no idea about how the story was being covered.

He said: "We sat down for about an hour and a half to go through the basics of this case. I asked her if she had seen any of the coverage that has been online for the better part of a day now.

"She hasn't. She does not know how the home, the conditions, the investigation is being described."

He said that this was due to how "fragile" she looked at the time, adding that she didn't fit the narrative which was built around her.

"[She's] not someone who comes across as 'pure evil,' because evil requires malice," he said, further adding: "The person that I saw there, Elizabeth, she doesn't have that in her eyes."

The property the children were found in was falling apart. Credit: X / Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson

Investigation carries on

A relative also said that he wasn't aware of there being 16 children in the home, believing there were only 10.

Two of them were sent to specialist trauma centres, while another seven were taken to Columbus Hospitals, with one admitted to the ICU and intubated.

Four family members, believed to be the children's parents and grandparents, Gary Siders Jr, 36, Elizabeth Siders, 33, Gary Siders Sr, 73, and Christina Siders, 77, have been arrested and charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment.

All four have pleaded not guilty.

The case is currently under investigation, with all four family members set to appear back in court.

Featured image credit: Southeast Ohio Jail

A disturbing Facebook post allegedly written by the mother of the 16 children recently rescued from an Ohio home has resurfaced, years before she and three of her relatives were charged over the children's living conditions.

Elizabeth Siders, 33, along with her husband, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and his parents, Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 67, have each been charged with second-degree felony child endangering after authorities discovered 16 children living in squalid conditions inside a property in rural Vinton County.

Investigators said the children, who range in age from 18 months to 18 years old, had reportedly been confined to a single room for much of the past four years.

The home was littered with human waste, and officials said several of the children showed severe developmental delays.

One 18-year-old with developmental disabilities was reportedly unable to write her own name, while some of the younger children were unable to speak.

Describing the scene officers encountered, Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said: "Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children."

Authorities are now reviewing a proposed $1 million emergency funding package to support the children following their rescue on June 30.

What did the disturbing post say?

Elizabeth Siders is the mother of the kids. Credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

As the investigation continues, attention has turned to an old Facebook post published on June 5, 2014, from Gary Siders Jr.'s account, which was allegedly written by Elizabeth Siders.

The post read: "this is elizabeth i dont want any one putting pictures of me on facebook every one if you have any pictures of me on here please take them off here !"

Elizabeth would have been 21 years old when the message was posted.

Authorities truly shocked by their findings

The property the children were found in was falling apart. Credit: X / Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson

According to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office, investigators only uncovered the children after executing a search warrant as part of an unrelated investigation.

Officials admitted they had no idea what they were about to find.

"We didn't know there were going to be 16 kids there," Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said during a press conference.

Reflecting on the conditions inside the property, Wilson added: "It's the type of thing that we're not used to seeing here in America."

Authorities believe the children spent most of their time inside a room measuring roughly 12 feet by 12 feet. While Sheriff Cain declined to explain exactly how they were kept there, he confirmed investigators did not discover any cages inside the house.

Several of the children required urgent medical attention after they were rescued. Seven were taken to hospitals in Columbus, while two others were airlifted by helicopter. Officials said one child remained in critical condition.

Wilson described the children's appearance as shocking.

"They looked like almost feral animals," he said. "It was terrible."

The children have since been placed in the temporary care of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said the four adults face second-degree felony child endangering charges because the allegations involve "serious physical harm."

During an initial court appearance on July 1, a judge entered not guilty pleas on behalf of all four defendants and set bond at $300,000 each. Although preliminary hearings had been scheduled for July 7, the defendants later waived their right to those hearings.

Investigators are still working to establish how all 16 children are related. Steve Irwin, a spokesperson for the attorney general's office, declined to confirm whether they are all siblings.

Authorities believe the family moved between communities in southern Ohio over the past two decades while avoiding contact with schools, healthcare providers and government agencies.

"These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids," Wilson said.

Investigators are also examining whether the family had ever previously come to the attention of child protection services.

One neighbour, Joseph Stewart, who has lived on the street for six years, said he had never seen any children at the property despite passing it regularly.

"No kids at all," Stewart said, describing the area as "a quiet neighborhood." He added: "It's a sad situation."

Featured Image. Credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

The brother of Elizabeth Siders has revealed more about his family in numerous Facebook posts, after 16 children were found in a feces-filled 12x12ft room in rural Hamden, Ohio.

Aged between 18 months and 18 years old, the children were being held in decrepit conditions for years.

Legal experts have shared what they really think about Elizabeth, the mother of the kids, but more is being unravelled about the family.

Officials found the neglected children during an unrelated police raid of the home, which is now widely known as the 'house of horrors'.

The conditions were said to be similar to the "third world," as others claimed that the children were being "kept in worse conditions than livestock,” with some found to have suffered “serious physical harm.”

As a result, 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 been arrested and charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment.

Elizabeth Siders is the mother of the kids. Credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

Elizabeth Siders' brother takes to Facebook

Jeremy Russell, who says that he is Elizabeth's brother, has published numerous posts about the family, reflecting his own views and experiences.

He defended his side of the family and praised his father in one post, writing: “My family been actin super immature. Giving the Russell’s a bad name. We really do seek respect.” (sic)

Russell then opened up about his father's childhood: “My dad has earn his life from the bottom. With no parents. Father not capable. Mother deceased age two. Grandparents deceased eight. Homeless children’s home there on after. -18. Sister was murdered. He was a teenager at the time.

“My father is a warrior. Smiles every day.” (sic)

He then wrote about the case in another post, penning: “This what I think. Slap on the wrist. You can not be charged for ignorance,

“The horror stories is not true [sic], nothing is true.”

He added: “My sister and her husband really did do their best to their iq. Allowance is the one to blame. Low IQ, getting that money.

"Everything is misunderstood. Their hygiene. Low IQ. The man of the house is responsible at most. He is the leader, leading followers. That’s what I think.”

Investigators are yet to comment on his claims.

Russell thinks that the parents shouldn't be severely punished for their actions. Credit: X / Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson

Russell responded to public attention

He posted about the attention he has been receiving, writing: “My story is none your business? Lol go away,

“I love yeh all. Stay positive. What’s your story? I got a lot going on. I consider that noise. These conversations tangling hours of my life. I’m doing just fine, thank you for asking.” (sic)

Russell then also said he wished he "could have been there to prevent this," saying that he felt sorry and that his "father’s name will go down as a disgrace."

Then, in a number of vague posts where it is not clear who he is referring to, he wrote: “I hope you got what you want. When you are left nowhere to go. Do not even think about it. Your anger won’t be long you be askin for help. If I allow it, I will not.”

He then put up another post, speaking about the repercussions of something.

“This is how you end up homeless. It’s gonna be cold man. Are you not thinking. Your employment record is shot no IQ. Like that equals homeless," he wrote.

"Your anger will put you there within two years. After you get back out of prison. That’s exactly what it is.”

He is yet to confirm who this is about.

Featured image credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

The Ohio mother accused of endangering her 16 children made one request after being taken into custody following the discovery of the family living in shocking conditions.

Elizabeth Siders, 33, is facing 16 felony counts of child endangerment after authorities found her children, who range in age from 18 months to 18 years, at a rural home in Hamden, Ohio. Police came across the property during an unrelated investigation, with one law enforcement officer describing what they found as "pure evil."

Investigators believe the children were likely confined to a 12x12 room for much of the last four years.

According to a court filing reviewed by WCMH, Siders asked to be released from jail so she could be reunited with her children. Her attorney argued she has no known criminal record and has shown no indication that she would fail to cooperate with authorities.

Elizabeth Siders is the mother of the children. Credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

Court filing reveals mother's request

The filing states that Siders' priority is seeing her children again.

“Through conversations with Counsel, the Defendant maintains that her principal desire [is] to reunite with her children,” the court filing read. “She understands that reunification of any sort is an impossibility if she does not appear before this Court,” it added.

Her attorney, J. Thomas Stolly, also argued that Siders is not a flight risk. According to the filing, she has agreed to wear a GPS monitor, check in with her bond officer, and provide the court with a stable living address.

Speaking to WBNS, Stolly said his client had only one concern after her arrest.

“She did not ask when she was getting out of jail. She did not ask what a timeline was for her to get out of jail. She started asking about the kids.”

Credit: WSYX ABC 6

Family details emerge after arrests

Investigators found that Elizabeth Siders was 15 years old when she married Gary Siders Jr. and gave birth to their first child just two months later.

Stolly said Elizabeth had only “positive things to say about Gary” while in jail, explaining that the couple wanted a “big family.”

Her brother, Jeremy Russell, offered a different view, claiming on social media that his sister had been “indoctrinated” as a teenager. He said she had completely "wrapped her life up due to indoctrination," adding that the psychological control over her was "100 percent real.

Relatives also said Elizabeth experienced a "difficult home life" as a teenager before running away to live with Gary Siders Jr. and his parents, Gary Sr. and Christina Siders.

Elizabeth Siders remains jailed on a $300,000 bond after being arrested alongside Gary Siders Jr., 36, Christina Siders, 66, and Gary Sr., 73.

Featured image credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail