Sixteen children have been rescued from a crumbling Ohio home after being kept in conditions authorities described as “pure evil.”
The children, aged between one and a half and 18, were discovered by the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office on June 30 while officers were investigating an unrelated crime. Four adults – believed to be the children’s parents and grandparents – have since been charged with 17 counts of child endangerment.
One detail in particular has shocked investigators: the oldest child, aged 18, could not spell her own name.
House about to fall apart
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson told a news conference that conditions inside the home were ones “you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in.” Officers said the children were kept in worse conditions than livestock.
The area where the children had been living was reportedly no larger than 12 by 12 feet and was heavily contaminated with human excrement.
The house itself was in such poor condition that the children were described as being “literally about to fall through the floor.” Many of the younger children were completely mute.
Two children were so seriously injured they had to be airlifted to specialist trauma centers. Another seven were taken to hospitals in Columbus, with one admitted to the ICU and placed on a ventilator.
The children lived years of isolation
Authorities believe the children had been kept in the property for around four years, but suspect the mistreatment and isolation stretched back much further, likely covering most of their lives. The 18-year-old’s inability to spell her own name was cited as evidence of the profound neglect the children had endured.
According to WBNS neighbors told authorities they had no idea children were living in the home and said the adults appeared to be travelers rather than locals.
Officials confirmed the case is not connected to human trafficking. The four adults, Gary Siders Sr., 73, Gary Siders Jr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders, all from Hamden, Ohio, have entered not guilty pleas.
Each faces between two and 12 years in prison per charge across 17 counts.
READ MORE:
- County sheriff who entered Ohio home where 16 children were left for years describes scenes
- Ohio Governor issues statement after 16 children found living like ‘feral animals’ in tiny, excrement-filled room
