HAMDEN, Ohio — All 16 children discovered living in what officials called “deplorable” conditions inside a cramped, run-down home in rural Ohio belong to the same family, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
Four adults were taken into custody Tuesday and charged with felony child endangerment after law enforcement discovered the children inside the residence. Authorities said some of the children were in urgent need of medical attention.
Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer explained that the four adults face second-degree felony child endangering charges due to what he described as “serious physical harm” involved in the case.
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders, and Elizabeth Siders appeared before a judge Wednesday, where not guilty pleas were entered on their behalf. None of the four have been assigned legal representation yet.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson told reporters Wednesday that the state of the house in the small village of Hamden was nearly impossible to put into words, saying it “really looked third world.”
“It’s just almost beyond comprehension,” Wilson said, declining to go into specific details about what investigators found inside.
Wilson also noted that it appeared the children had spent the majority of their time confined to a single room throughout most of the four years they lived in the home.
The house is located on a road tucked beside a steep railroad embankment, where trains regularly pass through Hamden. On Wednesday, the doors and windows of the home were left wide open in 94-degree Fahrenheit (34-degree Celsius) heat. Outside in the yard, a heap of broken and discarded children’s belongings was visible — including two damaged bicycles, a plastic play table, a beach pail, and two infant carriers.
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and the local sheriff’s department conducted a search of the property on Tuesday.
The children ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years old and included both boys and girls, officials said. Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus, and two were airlifted by helicopter.
Hamden is a small community of fewer than 1,000 residents, located approximately 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.
