The investigation into a shocking case of child neglect in a rural Ohio village has led to the arrest of four adults, including the parents and grandparents of 16 children found living in squalid conditions.
Police serving an unrelated warrant for public indecency stumbled upon the disturbing scene in a 12-by-12-foot room covered in human feces and unimaginable squalor. The children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years, were confined to the tiny space for most of the last four years. Authorities have described the conditions as "pure evil," "beyond comprehension," and "third world-like."
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson and Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain have both expressed their horror at the scene, with Wilson stating that the smell of the home still lingered on his clothes. Cain noted that the children were "almost feral" and that several had to be hospitalized, with seven taken to Columbus hospitals and two careflighted to level-one trauma centers.
The four adults arrested are the children's parents and grandparents, who face 16 felony counts of child endangerment involving serious physical harm. Each could face up to 192 years in prison if convicted on every count, with a $300,000 cash bond set for each suspect. They have pleaded not guilty.
The case is an intra-family matter, with authorities emphasizing that it is not a case of human trafficking or strangers. The children were removed from the home and are in protective custody with Ohio Job and Family Services.
An investigation into the family's history has revealed that Gary Siders II and Elizabeth Siders were married in their teens in West Virginia, with the oldest child born just two months later. The children were kept hidden from the public eye, with no record of enrollment in the local school district.
The adults were arrested after a warrant was issued in a separate case involving allegations of domestic abuse and child neglect. It is believed that authorities were also serving a warrant for Gary Siders II, who is separately charged with indecent exposure.
