The attorney representing one of the four adults charged after 16 children were found living in allegedly appalling conditions inside an Ohio home has made a new legal request.
Keep reading to learn more.
Elizabeth Siders’ attorney, Thomas Stolly, has filed a motion asking the court to order a mental health evaluation to determine whether she is competent to stand trial.
The motion, filed Tuesday (August 4) in Vinton County Common Pleas Court, argues that Siders “may be suffering from significant mental health issues” that could affect both her ability to participate in her defense and her mental state at the time of the alleged offenses.
Stolly wrote in the filing, reviewed by ABC 6, “Counsel believes that the Defendant’s significant mental health issues would not only affect whether she is competent to stand trial, but would also have affected her ability to understand the wrongfulness of her conduct… such that the Defendant would not have fully understood the consequences of her actions at the time of the alleged offenses, should such actions have actually constituted criminal conduct.”
Three other competency evaluations have already been approved
Last month, authorities rescued 16 children from a rural Vinton County home after discovering what officials described as “deplorable” and “pure evil” living conditions.
Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders, their son Gary Siders Jr., and his wife Elizabeth were arrested on June 30 and each charged with multiple counts of child endangering.
All four pleaded not guilty.
The court has already approved competency evaluations for Gary Sr., Gary Jr., and Christina. If granted, Elizabeth’s request would mean every adult charged in the case will undergo a mental health assessment before trial.
Stolly has previously disputed how officials have characterized his client.
“The person that I met with is not someone who comes across as pure evil,” he told WSYX.
“Evil requires malice, and the person that I saw there, Elizabeth, she doesn’t have that in her eyes, at least from this initial meeting.”
Gary Sr. has been released from hospital
Court records also show Gary Siders Sr. has now been released from hospital after his bond conditions were modified.
It has not been disclosed why he required hospitalization, though prosecutors previously said he suffers from a serious medical condition requiring specialized care.
Under the revised bond agreement, Gary Sr. must keep the court informed of any changes to his address or phone number, attend all future court hearings, wear a GPS monitoring device, and submit to drug and alcohol testing.
Family members say they had no idea what was happening
Ronnie Fletcher, who is married to one of Gary Sr.’s daughters, said relatives were devastated by the allegations.
“Horrified. Worried about the kids. It’s hard to explain the action when you’re distant family,” Fletcher told WOWK-TV.
“What can I do to help?’ That was the original reaction to it.”
He said the extended family has also received threats since the arrests.
“It’s been awful for the people that had no idea that was going on in the house that are related to this family.
“I mean, we’ve had death threats – we’ve been told that we need to be put in front of an execution line of guns and, you know, killed and burned. I mean, it’s been bad.”
Fletcher insisted relatives would have intervened had they known about the children’s living conditions.
“If we would have known that it was like that in that home, we would have done something about it, even if it was just to go there and take the kids ourselves or give them money.
“Them girls [Gary Sr. and Christina’s daughters] would have went there and cleaned the house themselves if they’d known it was like that.”
Authorities say the children had little contact with the outside world
According to investigators, none of the 16 children had been enrolled in school, and the oldest child was reportedly unable to write her own name.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson previously said investigators had not realized so many children were living at the property.
“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids. We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there. It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America.
“They looked like almost feral animals. It was terrible.”
The family had faced truancy issues years before the arrests
Court records show Gary Jr. and Elizabeth married in West Virginia in 2008 and went on to have 16 children over the following 17 years, including a set of twins born in 2022 who died shortly after birth and another set of twins born in 2024.
In 2021, Gallia County officials filed multiple truancy complaints alleging several of the children had missed the entire 2021–22 school year.
Those cases were later dismissed after authorities were unable to locate the family.
The investigation began with an unrelated police inquiry
The current criminal case began in late June after police obtained an arrest warrant for Gary Jr. in connection with four alleged public indecency incidents that reportedly occurred in May 2026.
When officers went to the family’s property to serve the warrant, they instead discovered 16 children living inside the home.
Authorities allege the children had been confined to a 12-by-12-foot area for approximately four years.
All four defendants were subsequently charged with multiple counts of child endangering.
The legal battle has continued to expand
Since the arrests, all four defendants have waived preliminary hearings, sending the case to a grand jury.
Multiple defense attorneys have sought reduced bond conditions, while judges have approved competency evaluations for Gary Sr., Gary Jr., and Christina.
Separate gag orders have also been issued restricting public comments about parts of the case.
Elizabeth is now the latest defendant seeking a competency evaluation, with the court expected to decide whether she will also undergo a mental health assessment before trial.
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