New disturbing details are emerging after the rescue of 16 children from an apparent house of horrors in Ohio last week. Birth and death records have revealed that the couple at the center of the case had two other children – conjoined twin girls who were born and died on the same day.
On June 30, police entered a Vinton County, Ohio, home and discovered 16 children between the ages of 18 months and 18 years living in conditions officials later described as “deplorable.”
Investigators believe more than half of the children had spent the past four years confined to a small 12-foot-by-12-foot room, though authorities believe the abuse and neglect likely began long before that.
“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,” Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said in a statement shared on Facebook.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described the children as “almost feral,” according to CBS News, and said the conditions inside the home were ones “you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in.”
“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions”
Authorities allege the property was in a state of severe neglect, filled with dirt and feces. Wilson said the home had deteriorated to the point where the children were “literally about to fall through the floor.”
He also said they had suffered such “serious physical harm” that two children had to be taken to specialist trauma centers, while seven others were transported to hospitals. One child was admitted to the ICU and placed on a ventilator.
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said, “Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” describing the scene deputies encountered as “disgusting, according to Sky News.
Four family members have since been charged in connection with the case. Parents Elizabeth Siders, 33, and Gary Siders Jr., 36, along with grandparents Christina Siders, 67, and Gary Siders Sr., 73, each face multiple felony child endangerment charges.
Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders conjoined twins
Now, newly uncovered birth and death records have revealed that the couple also had two other children. On November 20, 2022, Elizabeth Siders gave birth to conjoined twin girls at a hospital in Columbus. Records show the babies were born and died on the same day, living for about an hour.
The existence of the twins had already fueled widespread online speculation after social media users discovered a headstone in Hamden bearing the names Bailey Lee Siders and Faith Lee Siders, with both their birth and death dates listed as November 20, 2022.
The girls were joined at the chest and were born four months premature. Their cause of death was listed as respiratory failure linked to extreme prematurity, according to VT. The deaths of the twins are not included in the criminal case against the family.
All four adults face 16 counts each of second-degree felony child endangerment. Each count carries a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum of 12 years in prison. If convicted on all counts, each defendant could face up to 192 years behind bars. All four have pleaded not guilty and are being held on $300,000 bond.
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