Ohio police rescue 16 children trapped in single room as neighbours share disturbing details
Ohio police rescued 16 children from a derelict rural property this week, who'd been trapped in one room for almost four years.
The mixed group of boys and girls, all of whom hail from the same family and ranged from 18 months to 18 years old, were found residing in 'deplorable conditions' in the tiny village of Hamden, the town's sheriff has said.
They'd been living amongst piles of human waste and filth in a 12ft x 12ft room found to have a high presence of harmful bacteria.
Some kids hadn't yet learned to speak, while the eldest, an 18-year-old with a developmental disability, was unable to spell her own name.
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Investigators discovered the brood while carrying out a search warrant centred upon an unrelated issue.
No medical or government records for the children were found at the property, and none of the kids had been enrolled at school.
According to officers on the scene, the children had been confined to the space by their parents and grandparents, who moved there two decades prior.
Gary Siders Jr, Gary Siders Sr, Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders have since been charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment, having put the kids in 'serious physical harm'.
Explaining the charges, Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer emphasised that they were not based upon human trafficking crimes, but an 'intra-family situation'.
The county's sheriff, Ryan Cain, described the conditions during a press conference on Wednesday (8 Jul) as a 'disgusting scene'.
"Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children," he added.
The state's attorney general, Andy Wilson, also recalled the chilling discovery: "We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there."
Wilson went on to describe the treatment of the kids as 'pure evil', claiming the scene was the worst he'd stumbled across in his career.
"It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America," he continued, revealing he found himself unable to escape the smell of the 'horrific' house over 24 hours later. adding that nearly 24 hours later.
Seven children were rushed to hospitals in Columbus after being found by police, while two were transported by helicopters to trauma centres, one of whom was placed in critical condition.
"They looked like almost feral animals," Wilson added of the children. "It was terrible."
A judge entered not guilty pleas on behalf of the Siders' when they appeared in court on Wednesday, before setting their bond to $300,000 each.
A number of the family's neighbours have since spoken out, including Joseph Stewart from three doors down, who has lived alongside them for six years, but claims he's seen 'no kids at all' around the property.
"It’s a sad situation. It’s a quiet neighbourhood," Stewart noted.
The Siders' next-door neighbour, Josh Odell, added: "We have a little girl ourselves, so it immediately alarmed me that there’s some very bad people that were just right there. Like, did they give birth at the hospital to all these kids?
"Where are those records? Something that struck me is that these people were not from around here."
Odell added he wishes he'd 'done something sooner'.
Sabrina Hill, another local from the area, claims she'd caught wind that the Siders were keeping animals in the home alongside their children.
"So I can just imagine what the kids lived in and went through," she added. "Did they know the kids were there?
"I mean, that’s just where it kind of bothers me. If they knew the kids were there, they should have been removed, I think."
A timeline of the allegations against the Siders family
31 March 2008
Gary Siders Jr, 18, and Elizabeth Siders, 15, are married in Mason County, West Virginia with the consent of Elizabeth’s parents
30 May 2008
The couple’s eldest child is born. More children are born in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022 (twins), 2024 (twins), and 2025.
2021
The superintendent of the Gallia County Local Schools in southeast Ohio told WSAZ3 there are records from this year showing Gary Jr. and Elizabeth were parents with a local school at the time.
10 November 2022
Elizabeth Siders prematurely delivers conjoined twins, who die an hour after they are born. Named Faith Lee and Bailey Lee Siders, they were joined at the chest, face-to-face, according to birth certificates obtained by WCMH.
2022
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the Siders family moved to Vinton County, again in southeast Ohio, around this time.
23 and 27 May 2026
A criminal complaint against Gary Siders Jr accused him of ‘recklessly exposing his private parts’ on two occasions on these dates.
30 June 2026
An arrest warrant is issued for Gary Siders Jr related to four alleged counts of public indecency.
Police attend the Siders’ home in relation to this investigation and find 16 children living in what police describe as deplorable conditions.
Authorities claim the children were confined to a 12-foot by 12-foot space for four years.
Gary Siders Sr, 73, Christina Siders, 67, Gary Siders Jr, 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, are arrested and charged with 16 counts of endangering children, second degree felonies. All have since entered not guilty pleas.
3 July 2026
In an interview with WSYX ABC 6, Elizabeth Siders’ lawyer Thomas Stolly said on meeting his client for the first time: “I met a woman who was timid and who was exhausted. It looked like she had been crying quite a bit. She looked distraught.”
When asked if Elizabeth is also a victim in the case, he says: “I don’t think she would classify herself as a victim.”
He says the initial coverage of conditions at the Siders’ home is ‘not the whole story’.
7 July 2026
All four of the defendants waive their right to a preliminary hearing, meaning the case will now go before a grand jury.
They will decide whether to indict the four accused family members.
On the same day, Gary Sr.’s legal team ask for his $300,000 bail to be waived. They argue it is excessive, saying the 73-year-old has ‘significant health issues’ and ‘very limited mobility’, and doesn’t have the capacity to post any bail money.
His lawyer, Dorian Keith Baum, says Gary Sr. ‘has denied any and all allegations against him’ and has ‘a vested interest… to clear his name’.
Baum also says he has concerns about Gary Sr’s competency to stand trial.
That day, Gary Sr. is transported to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital in Athens. If released from hospital, he will be required to wear a GPS monitor. His bond is changed to a recognizance bond, which means he doesn’t have to pay the money upfront.
Rhianna Benson