Sixteen children found in ‘deplorable’ home were part of same family
Sixteen children found living in “deplorable” conditions inside a small, dilapidated rural Ohio home are part of the same family, officials said Wednesday.
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff’s department searched the home in Hamden Tuesday and arrested four adults after finding the children, whom authorities said “looked like feral animals” and were in dire need of medical treatment.
The children ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years old and included both boys and girls. Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus and two were flown by helicopters.
Some of the kids were unable to speak, according to investigators, and one – an 18-year-old who was developmentally disabled – could not write her own name.
”Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain, noting the squalor of their living conditions. “Just a disgusting scene.”
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.
“I’ve been doing these types of cases for a long time,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said. “I spent a big portion of my career dedicated to prosecuting these types of cases.
“And I can tell you this is pure evil. What we saw down here today is pure evil.”
The four adults were charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm,” Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said.
“Our children deserve better from their parents, guardians, and custodians. No child should endure these kinds of conditions,” Archer said.
“My office will do everything in our power to make sure these children get the love and care they deserve. My office will prosecute these persons to the fullest extent of the law.”
Wilson said that the conditions inside the house were almost indescribable, saying it “really looked Third World.”
“It’s just almost beyond comprehension,” he said without providing details about what was inside.
It appeared that the children spent most of their time in just one room for much of the four years they lived there, Wilson said.
The house sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through the tiny village Hamden.
On Wednesday, the property’s doors and windows stood open to the 94-degree Fahrenheit (34-degree Celsius) heat.
A tangle of discarded children’s items – two busted bicycles, a plastic play table, a beach pail and two infant carriers – were visible stood in a pile in the yard.
There was also evidence of cat and dog food left on the porch and garbage bags and boxes blocking an entrance.
Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles southeast of Columbus, the state capital.
