Ohio Siders family arrested after 16 children rescued from squalid home

Police executing an unrelated warrant in Hamden, Vinton County, Ohio, discovered 16 children—aged 18 months to 18 years—confined in a 12‑by‑12‑foot room covered in human waste. The children had lived in those conditions for about four years, were not enrolled in school, and many could barely communicate. Seven were taken to hospitals in Columbus, two were airlifted to level‑one trauma centers, and at least one required intensive‑care ventilation.

Four adults—Gary Siders Jr., his wife Elizabeth Siders, and his parents Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders—were arrested and each faces 16 counts of second‑degree felony child endangerment, potentially totaling 192 years of prison if convicted on every count. Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described the scene as “third‑world” and “pure evil.”

Further details emerged that the family’s conjoined twin daughters, Bailey Lee and Faith Lee Siders, were born prematurely in November 2022 and died an hour after birth. Legal actions continue: a bond‑reduction motion has been filed for 73‑year‑old Gary Siders Sr., and special prosecutors have been appointed to assist the Vinton County case. Relatives of the Siders family said they were unaware of the full number of children until the arrests became public.

All 16 children are now in the custody of Ohio Job and Family Services while the investigation proceeds.