‘Looked third world.’ Children found in ‘deplorable’ Ohio home were part of same family

McARTHUR, Ohio (WOIO/WSAZ) — The 16 children found living in “deplorable” conditions inside an Ohio home are part of the same family, officials said Wednesday.

Authorities arrested four adults Tuesday on felony child endangerment charges after finding the children in a rural southern Ohio home. Some were in dire need of medical treatment, authorities said.

The four people charged appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf.

The four people were taken into custody:

• Gary Siders, Jr.
• Gary Siders, Sr.
• Elizabeth Siders
• Christina Siders

They are each charged with 16 counts of child endangerment. Wilson said they are identified as a grandpa, grandma, father, and mother of the children.

The judge ordered the suspects to have no contact with the victims or each other.

According to officials, this was not a human-trafficking case and the children are now safe and are currently in a good situation.

Conditions of the children

Several of the children were in serious condition and two were flown to hospitals due the severity of their conditions, said Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson.

“Some of the children could not even speak and looked like feral animals,” said Wilson.

The ages of the children ranged between 1 1/2 and 18 years old, and all 16 of them are being evaluated medically.

Wilson said the individuals are not from Vinton County, but have been in the area for about four years. The family members are also known to have ties to Gallia County and Wisconsin.

Some of the Vinton County neighbors said they had no idea kids were living there.

“They were good at keeping these kids out of sight,” said Wilson.

Raid at Vinton County home

The adults were taken into custody after the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) conducted a search warrant at their home in the 100 block of Ohmer St. in Hamden Tuesday morning.

“This really looked third world,” said Wilson. “It was absolutely terrible.”

Wilson also said that if they had waited another 24 hours to raid the home, some of the children may have died.

“Most of our livestock is kept in better conditions,” said Sheriff Ryan Cain. “It was disgusting.”

“I’ve been doing these types of cases for a long time, a big portion of my career dedicated to prosecuting these types of cases,” Wilson said. “This is pure evil what we saw down here today.”

The sheriff’s office said the scene was horrific and these are horrific allegations, but it is still an ongoing investigation.

It is the sheriff’s office’s mission to protect the citizens and children of Vinton County and to hold these individuals accountable to justice.