‘We gave them a car’: Uncle of 16 kids found trapped in Ohio had no idea how bad things were

A member of the Siders family has shared how “horrified” he is after 16 children were found living like “feral animals” in a rural home in Ohio last week. He said he and his wife had often helped the family with cars and money, but had no idea they were living like that and would have helped more.

Authorities found 16 children aged between one and 18 trapped in a tiny 12-foot room in Hamden, surrounded by human waste and living in “third world” conditions. Attorney General Andy Wilson said it was “pure evil” and the worst thing he’s ever seen in his career. Some of the children were unable to speak, and the 18-year-old couldn’t write their name.

Seven of the children were taken to local hospitals, one of which was in a critical condition. The children’s parents and two grandparents, Gary Siders Jr, 36, Elizabeth Siders, 33, Gary Siders Sr, 73, Christina Siders, 77, have been arrested and charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment. They have all pleaded not guilty.

Credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

Ronnie Fletcher, the uncle of the children, said he and his wife thought they only had 10 children and were “horrified” when he heard the news. He is married to one of Gary Jr’s older sisters, and said the family isn’t close.

“Horrified. Worried about the kids. It’s hard to explain the action when you’re distant family. ‘What can I do to help?’ That was the original reaction to it,” he told WOWK 13.

“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.

“My wife would take the last five dollars out of her pocket and buy somebody a meal and chance running out of gas to get home. If we’d have known this was that way, we would’ve helped.”

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Credit: Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson

Fletcher said the Siders kept the rest of their family at “arms length” and nobody knew where they lived. He last heard from them around a year ago when they were asking for money, but has only met the two oldest kids “years and years ago”. The relative knew the children didn’t go to school but thought they were being homeschooled.

“We might have known whereabouts, like in a county or in a spot, [but] most of the time we felt like that wasn’t really the truth,” he said. “The last time we heard from them, we gave them a car, and that’s probably close to a year ago now – other than Lynn [Christina] calling us and asking for money or [saying] they needed help with the water bill. If we had it, we sent it, and if we didn’t, one of the other daughters did.”

He hopes the kids are able to get help and can become productive members of society. “Justice needs to be done,” he said. “They’re breaking down good people and taking off of their kids’ plate. It ain’t right.”

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Featured image credit: Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson and Southern Ohio Regional Jail