Overview
- Investigators executing a court-authorized search warrant found 16 children at a Hamden, Ohio, residence on June 30 and removed them for urgent medical evaluation and state custody.
- Officials described the home as covered in human waste and trash with many children confined for years to a roughly 12-by-12-foot area and none enrolled in school.
- Four relatives — identified as Gary Siders Sr., Gary Siders Jr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders — were arrested, each charged with 16 counts of endangering children, pleaded not guilty, and were held on $300,000 bond with no-contact orders.
- Several children were taken to hospitals with some released after exams while others remain hospitalized, including at least one who required intensive care and two who were airlifted to Level One trauma centers.
- State investigators say the family moved through multiple Ohio counties and avoided creating government or medical records, and prosecutors warn the probe is active with more evidence and possible additional charges expected.