The gutting ages of 16 kids rescued in Ohio make you realise just how dark the story really is

The heartbreaking story of the 16 kids rescued from their own family has captured the attention of the world, with each emerging detail only making the story more tragic.

Elizabeth Siders, Gary Siders, and the latter’s parents were arrested last week and charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment. First responders described the abhorrent scenes they stumbled upon, with multiple people saying they wouldn’t forget the smell anytime soon.

Attorney General Andy Wilson said: “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. Pure evil. Some of these children couldn’t even speak. They looked like almost feral animals.”

We’re yet to receive updates about the kids, but last week, seven of them were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Two were airlifted away; one was in critical condition.

Lawyers representing the family have urged caution, with Elizabeth’s attorney requesting: “There’s a real human component to this, and so I would ask people to give this process time to play out.”

Credit: Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson

How old were the Siders kids rescued in Ohio?

According to her own lawyer, Elizabeth Siders married Gary Siders Jr. when she was just 15 years old, with full consent from both sets of parents. Two months after their wedding, she gave birth to their first child, who is now 18.

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“I think that this is more so a case of isolation than a case of evil, and I think that there’s an important distinction there,” he said.

The ages of the Siders family kids show a troubling pattern in Elizabeth’s life, with the mum of 16 seemingly giving birth most years.

Credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

Besides the 18-year-old, the Siders family had kids aged 16, 15, 14, 13, 11, and 10. There was also an eight-year-old, a six-year-old, a five-year-old, and three sets of back-to-back twins ages four, two, and 17 months. Gary and Elizabeth lost another set of twins to a respiratory illness in 2022. Their names were Bailey Lee Siders and Faith Lee Siders.

“Because if that’s all you know — and you have to think someone at 15 years old doesn’t know a whole lot about being an adult, about being a mother, about being a wife — and that’s been your worldview for the past 17 or 18 years, you get shaped by that,” her lawyer noted.

This is still an ongoing story, with more details expected soon.

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Featured image credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail