A separate, unrelated investigation brought law enforcement to a rural property in Hamden, Ohio, on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, and inside a single 12-by-12-foot room they found 16 children who had been living there for years in what officials called horrific conditions.
The children ranged from 18 months to 18 years old, both boys and girls, and the oldest has severe developmental disability that she could not spell her own name, authorities said.
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described a room with “a high presence” of human feces, though he said the children had not been kept in cages.
“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” Cain told reporters. “It was just a disgusting scene.”
The children were in urgent need of medical care, according to Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, who said doctors believed even a short delay could have turned fatal.
Seven children were taken to hospitals in Columbus, and two were flown to Level 1 trauma centers. “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 of these children,” Wilson said.
Four adults living at the home were each charged Wednesday, July 1, 2026, with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangering, as reported by PEOPLE
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Elizabeth Siders, and Christina Siders all entered not guilty pleas during their arraignments that morning, and a judge set bond at $300,000 for each.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer identified the defendants as a grandmother, a grandfather, a mother, and a father, though officials have not confirmed whether Elizabeth Siders gave birth to all 16 children or whether the children are all siblings.
Sheriff Cain declined to say if investigators consider Elizabeth Siders a possible victim as well, calling that part of the ongoing investigation.
Wilson said the children had the look of “almost feral animals,” adding, “It was terrible.” Communication with them was extremely limited, Cain noted, with some unable to communicate at all.
The 18-year-old’s developmental level, Archer said, means she is “developmentally still a minor.”
Investigators believe the adults had been living in Vinton County for about four years, after spending years moving around Ohio since 2008 and avoiding medical and government records.
The home is owned by a trust, and the children had never been enrolled in school. Wilson called the conditions “pure evil” and said the scene was “one of the worst environments” he had witnessed in his career, while commending the officers who went inside.
He stressed that the case was an “intra-family situation” and not connected to human trafficking.
As of Thursday morning, a spokesperson for the state public defender’s office said the defendants had not yet been assigned legal representation.
The children were placed in the temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. Hamden, a village of fewer than 800 people, sits about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.
For more true crime stories and updates on high-profile cases, sign up for our free newsletter here. For our long true crime content, and exclusive true crime deep dives, subscribe to join our community on Patreon.
Comments
Post a Comment