Ohio authorities have revealed disturbing new details about the conditions inside a rural home where 16 children were discovered Tuesday morning, leading to felony child endangerment charges against four adults.
The four defendants—Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Elizabeth Siders, and Christina Siders—have each been charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment. All pleaded not guilty during their arraignments on Wednesday, and a judge set bond at $300,000 for each.
According to Rebecca Myers, a spokesperson for the Ohio Public Defender’s Office, none of the defendants had been assigned legal counsel as of Thursday morning.
During a Wednesday news conference, Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer identified the four adults as the children’s grandmother, grandfather, mother, and father. Officials have not confirmed whether all 16 children are siblings or whether Elizabeth Siders is the biological mother of every child.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said investigators believe the family had moved around the state since 2008, avoiding contact with medical providers and government agencies. Authorities estimate they had lived in Vinton County for approximately four years.
The investigation began after law enforcement followed up on information from an unrelated case. The property, located in the village of Hamden, is owned by a trust.
The children—ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years and including both boys and girls—were allegedly confined for most of the past four years in a room measuring roughly 12 by 12 feet, according to Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain.
Investigators reported finding a significant amount of human waste inside the room. Although the children were not locked in cages, officials described the environment as extremely unsanitary. Authorities also said the oldest child, an 18-year-old believed to have developmental disabilities, was unable to spell her own name.
“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” Sheriff Cain said. “It was simply a horrifying scene.”
Attorney General Wilson said the children required immediate medical attention. Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus, while two others were airlifted to Level I trauma centers.
“Based on everything we’ve seen so far, if authorities had arrived just 24 hours later, there was a very real possibility that one or more of these children would not have survived,” Wilson said.
Officials also confirmed that none of the children had been enrolled in school.
“They looked almost feral,” Wilson said. “It was heartbreaking to witness.”
The children have since been placed in the temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Prosecutor Archer emphasized that investigators believe this was an intra-family abuse case and said there is no evidence suggesting human trafficking was involved.
Hamden is a small village of fewer than 800 residents located about 60 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio.