Police Rescue 16 Children From Hamden Home After 4 Years, Vinton County Prosecutor Charges Siders Family

Police in Hamden, a village in Vinton County about 357 km south of Cleveland, rescued 16 children from a home where they had been trapped in one room for 4 years, according to police and state officials.

“16 children rescued from 'deplorable conditions' in Ohio home, officials say: 'Beyond comprehension' Four adults have been charged with endangering children”

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The children were discovered on Tuesday morning during a court-authorized search warrant executed at the residence as part of an ongoing investigation involving allegations of domestic abuse and child neglect, police said in a Facebook statement.

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Vinton County prosecutor William Archer said the charges against Gary Siders Jr., Elizabeth Siders, Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders involved an “intra-family situation” and did not involve human trafficking.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the evidence investigators encountered was “beyond comprehension,” and he added that the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the children remains the “number one priority” of the authorities.

Officers charged four adults with 17 counts of endangering children, each a second-degree felony, and the Vinton County prosecutor said there was no risk to other children or members of the public, police said.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Archer said there was no risk to other children or members of the public, and the four adults were arraigned in Vinton County Court this week in Common Pleas court and remain in jail on a $300,000 bond, police said.

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The children were removed from the home and taken to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment, and Wilson said at least seven were transported to elevated medical care in more serious condition and remain hospitalized.

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described an “extremely high presence, I’m sure, of bacterial and human feces” inside the home, adding, “I’ve seen livestock mostly kept better.”

Authorities said the children were placed in the temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, while some were treated and released and others remained hospitalized.

“In a scene described by authorities as horrific, 16 children were rescued from a home in Vinton County, Ohio, where they had allegedly been living for years in extreme conditions of neglect, isolation and filth”

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Wilson said he would not answer whether Elizabeth was the mother of all 16 children or if there was evidence of sexual abuse because those questions were part of an “ongoing investigation.”

The investigation has been ongoing for some time and culminated with the search warrant executed at the home in Hamden, and Wilson said the family had been “pretty adept at keeping these kids out of sight and out of investigative eyes.”

Archer said the case is not a human trafficking matter and described it as an “intra-family situation,” as officials continue to pursue accountability while the children receive medical evaluation and protective custody.