Authorities say they rescued 16 children from “deplorable conditions” this week in a small town in rural Ohio. The parents and two grandparents now face charges. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Officials in Ohio said Wednesday that they found 16 children from 1 to 18 years old — all from one family — living in “deplorable conditions” in a home in rural Ohio. The parents and two grandparents now face charges in the case.
Authorities said that, for most of the past four years, the children were confined to one room in the small, rundown house, The Guardian reported. The home was full of human waste, and some of the children were unable to speak.
“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” Ryan Cain, Vinton County sheriff, said at a press conference. “Just a disgusting scene.”
The house was in the village of Hamden, southeast of Columbus. Police were carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation when they found the children, WLWT-TV reported.
“Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in,” Andy Wilson, Ohio attorney general, said. He described the scene as “pure evil.”
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders were arrested and appeared in court via Zoom on Wednesday, WLWT-TV said. All entered not guilty pleas. Additional charges are expected.
Each was charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment, William Archer, the county’s prosecuting attorney, said. He said it was an “intra-family situation” and not a human trafficking case.
Cain said the children were in a room that was about 12 feet square. Authorities transported seven to Columbus hospitals, while helicopters took two to level one trauma centers, The Guardian said. One child was in critical condition, Wilson said.
“If they had waited 24 hours, there is a very high probability that we’d be dealing with a death, or multiple deaths, of these children,” he said.
Investigators said the family had moved around the area a lot and that the children were not enrolled in school.
