16 Children Found Living Among Human Waste in Ohio Home; Parents and Grandparents Charged
Sixteen children were removed from a small Ohio home after authorities allegedly found them living in extreme filth, largely confined to one room and hidden from the outside world.
Investigators executed court-authorized search warrants at approximately 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30, at a residence on Ohmer Street in Hamden, a village in Vinton County. The warrants were connected to a separate investigation, and officials said they did not expect to find 16 children inside the home.
The children ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years old. Authorities said most had spent much of the previous four years in an area measuring roughly 12 feet by 12 feet.
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described human feces inside the home and said the building was in such poor condition that investigators feared parts of the floor could collapse. He said livestock were kept in better conditions than the children.
Seven of the children were transported to hospitals in Columbus, including two who were airlifted to Level 1 trauma centers. At least one child was reported to be in critical condition during officials’ Wednesday briefing. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office said some children were later released, while others remained hospitalized in serious condition.
An acting fire department spokesperson who helped transport four of the children recalled that they appeared frightened and showed little emotion during the approximately 20-minute trip to the hospital.
“Cockroaches and stuff like that,” the first responder said when describing what crews encountered, adding that bugs were crawling on and biting the children. He said the children remained quiet and had “blank expressions.”
Authorities said some of the children could not speak, while others could communicate only in a limited way. An 18-year-old believed to have developmental disabilities reportedly could not spell her own name. Officials are treating her as a minor because of her developmental condition. None of the children were enrolled in school.
Four adults were arrested at the property: Gary Siders Sr., 73; Christina Siders, 67; Gary Siders II, 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33. Prosecutors described them as a grandfather, grandmother, father and mother within the family. Officials have not publicly detailed each child’s exact relationship to the four defendants.
Each defendant is charged with 16 counts of endangering children, a second-degree felony. Prosecutors allege the children suffered serious physical harm.
All four appeared in Vinton County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, July 1. Not-guilty pleas were entered, and bond was set at $300,000 for each defendant. They were also ordered to have no contact with the children.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the family had moved through several Ohio counties since 2008 and appeared to have avoided creating medical and other government records. The family reportedly moved into the Hamden property approximately four years ago, but neighbors told investigators they did not know children were living there.
Wilson said authorities may have prevented a tragedy by discovering the children when they did.
“I think if they would have waited another 24 hours, there was a very high probability that we’d be dealing with a death or multiple deaths,” he said.
The children are now in the temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The investigation remains active, and the Vinton County Prosecutor’s Office said additional charges could be filed as more evidence is uncovered.
