Worker who served Ohio family for two years shares what the children looked like before rescue

A local shop worker has shared some disturbing details about the Ohio family accused of endangering 16 children, saying there was one thing about their visits that she will never forget.

The children, aged between 18 months and 18 years, were rescued from a home in Hamden, Ohio, after authorities carried out a search warrant linked to a separate investigation. Officials said they found the children living in horrific conditions inside a small room surrounded by human waste, with Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson saying they looked “almost feral animals”.

Neighbours and Elizabeth Siders’ brother have also spoken publicly in recent days.

Now, Ariel Gutierrez, who works at the local Dollar General, has opened up about her regular encounters with the family before they were arrested.

She told WSYX ABC 6 that Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders came into the shop almost every night during the two-and-a-half years she has worked there. They usually stopped by just before closing and bought everyday items like water, vegetable oil and sugar.

Gutierrez said she normally only saw one child with them during those visits.

“It was mind-blowing once I saw the mugshot. I just saw them on Monday. They were my last customers,” she said. “It’s sad. It’s a crazy, sad situation.”

The shop worker began noticing worrying things about the children she saw

via Southern Ohio Regional Jail

She claimed, “I noticed that he would keep her really close to her, and she was not allowed to speak to nobody. I noticed that, and when she came in with the kids, the kids were all very thin, very, very thin.”

Gutierrez also described the children’s appearance in heartbreaking detail. She said, “Ghost white, didn’t have no weight on their body and they had their hair over their face, like to block out the outside world to not see them.”

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She previously told the station the children looked extremely thin and often hid behind their hair.

Staff at the shop even tried to help the family by giving them clothes and hygiene products. This is because they believed they were struggling financially. But Gutierrez said they never saw those items being used.

‘The smell will never leave my mind’

There was one thing, though, that Gutierrez said has stayed with her more than anything else. She said, “The smell will never leave my mind. It was so potent, like they could have left the store five minutes ago and the store would still smell.”

Her comments came after Attorney General Andy Wilson said the smell inside the family’s home was something he “cannot get the smell off of me” nearly a day after entering the property.

After learning what investigators say the children had been living through, Gutierrez admitted she wishes she had spoken up sooner.

“I’m sorry, I should have said something sooner,” she said. “I’m praying and I know they’re in better conditions now.”

Authorities say none of the 16 children was enrolled in school. And several needed urgent medical treatment after they were rescued. The four adults have been arrested and charged with child endangerment offences. They have all pleaded not guilty, and the investigation is continuing.

For more, like The Tab on Facebook. Featured image via WSYX ABC 6 and Southern Ohio Regional Jail.