Four people have been arrested after 16 children were found in deplorable conditions (Image: Vinton County Sheriff’s Office)
Four people have been arrested after 16 children were found in a tiny decrepit room full of feaces where conditions were worse than livestock housing. Investigators said they found 16 people inside a room that measured just 12sqft during a search warrants in Ohio, USA, as part of an investigation involving allegations of domestic abuse and child neglect.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said it was one of the worst scenes he had ever witnessed, and that the children, aged between one and 18, “looked like almost feral animals”.
He added: “In what I’ve seen up to this point, 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. It really looked third world. It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America.”
Elizabeth Siders, 33, and Gary Siders Junior, 36 (Image: Vinton County Sheriff’s Office)
Law officials said the believe the children had been kept in the horrific conditions on Ohmer Street, Hamden, for “most of the last four years”, with some of them unable to speak and an 18-year-old unable to spell her name.
“Most of the livestock was kept in better condition than the children,” said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. “The conditions these children lived in were horrific, and we are sickened by it. Fortunately, this tragic chapter has closed, but their recovery will take time.”
Officials said the space had a high presence of human waste and excrement and that conditions in the house were so decrepit that the children were about to fall through the floor.
Two of the people were flown to level one trauma centers over their injuries, with law officials describing the scene as “pure evil”.
Four adults are being charged with 17 second-degree counts of felony child endangering on the grounds of “serious physical harm”.
Gary Siders Senior, 73, Gary Siders Junior, 36, Elizabeth Siders, 33, and Christina Siders, 67, were arraigned in the Vinton County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday.
16 mute siblings discovered in tiny decrepit room (Image: WHSV3)
Each was charged with 16 second-degree felony counts of endangering children and are each being held on a $300,000 bond. All four pleaded not guilty.
The sheriff’s office said the 16 children removed from the home were in temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. The children were initially taken to local hospitals for evaluation.
Officials said some of the children were treated and released, while others were taken to elevated medical care and remain hospitalised in serious condition, including one who was in the ICU.
Officials said as the investigation has progressed, they have learned that members of the Siders family have lived in multiple Ohio counties since 2008.
Investigators said they believe the family largely avoided establishing medical and other government records during that time.
