The full ‘deplorable’ picture: Every detail we’ve learned about Siders family and their 16 kids

The world is closely following the story of the Siders family and the 16 kids who were rescued from their home last week. It only grows sadder with each piece of new information, and now Gary Siders Sr, Christine Siders, Gary Siders Jr, and Elizabeth Siders are facing just under 200 years in prison if found guilty.

Here’s all the information we’ve had so far.

The Siders family were arrested and charged last week

Credit: Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson

Late last week, police in Hamden, Ohio, carried out an arrest warrant for Gary Jr for an unrelated crime; he was charged four times with public indecency at the end of May. However, officers unwittingly stumbled upon 16 kids being kept inside a tiny 12-by-12 room.

“We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there,” Attorney General Andy Wilson said at the time. “It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America. Pure evil.”

He said it was the most “horrific” thing he’d seen in his career, revealing the kids couldn’t speak and were like “feral animals.”

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain added: “Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children. Just a disgusting scene.”

They were arrested at the scene and later charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment because it involved “serious physical harm.” Bonds were set at $300,000 each, with the judge saying the combined charges carried a maximum sentence of 192 years.

First responders detailed the scene

Credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

Of all the people who attended the scene, most recalled horrid smells and the overwhelming sense of neglect.

“Cockroaches, and stuff like that. Bugs just in general and the conditions, you know, bugs get on the children and stuff and they scratch, and they bite and all that stuff. So, their condition wasn’t the greatest. It was just quiet. Blank expressions,” one person said.

How many kids were rescued, and are they okay?

The 16 kids found in the house were of different ages, which demonstrated a concerning pattern for mum Elizabeth Siders. The ages of her kids are 18, 16, 15, 14, 13, 11, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4-year-old twins, 2-year-old twins, and 17-month-old twins.

It also emerged that Elizabeth Siders had actually given birth to 18 kids, and not 16. Another set of twins, born in 2022, were born conjoined and passed away soon after.

When the kids were rescued, seven of them were taken to the hospital for treatment. Two were flown to trauma centres, and one was in critical condition.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the prosecutor said the kids were “safe and being cared for.” The state intends to invest $1 million in the kids after years of going without education.

There’s been a lot of focus on Elizabeth Siders

Credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

There has been a lot of focus on Elizabeth Siders, as she’s the mother of the 16 kids. Some were born at the hospital, records showed.

Elizabeth Siders married Gary Siders Jr in 2008, when she was just 15. Their first kid, now 18, was born two months after the nuptials.

“My sister just rapped her life up. Due to indoctrination. It is 100 per cent real,” her brother wrote on Facebook.

“I met this dude couple months ago. Shook my hand like a baby would super soft hands. Definitely never worked a day in his life. I should have took him out that night. I was thinking about it but my sister. I was happy to see. Been 15 years. You lost touch with your family followed another look what happened,” he said.

He further accused the state of knowing about the case, suggesting that it’s a classic misunderstanding.

“My sister and her husband really did do their best to their iq. Allowance is the one to blame. Low IQ, getting that money,” he added. “Everything is misunderstood. Their hygiene. Low IQ. The man of the house is responsible at most. He is the leader, leading followers. That’s what I think.”

Gary Siders Sr was released due to medical reasons

Credit: WSYX

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When the family were arrested last week, Gary Siders Sr experienced a fall in the police transport. It soon became clear that the grandfather had a myriad of medical issues.

Because the bill would have gone to Vinton County on account of Gary being unconvicted, they decided to release him on a recognisance bond.

“Based on the information that we were provided, his medical care could potentially bankrupt Vinton County,” the prosecutor said at a press conference. “We were not going to put that burden also on our local taxpayers, so it was agreed that we would do a recognisance bond.”

Family, friends, and neighbours have commented

There have been lots of reactions to the viral Siders case, with friends, family, and neighbours sharing their shock in interviews and on social media.

“It’s a sad situation. It’s a quiet neighbourhood,” Joe, who lives three houses away, said, noting how he’d seen “no kids at all” during his time on the street.

Next-door neighbour Josh Odell also said: “We have a little girl ourselves, so it immediately alarmed me that there’s some very bad people that were just right there.

“Like, did they give birth at the hospital to all these kids? Where are those records? Something that struck me is that these people were not from around here.”

Local Sabrina Hill turned her attention to the State, questioning why the kids weren’t removed sooner. She also “heard” there were a lot of animals in the property.

“It’s stupid that this happened this close to Wellston and Vinton County. You just don’t know what’s going on in this world anymore. I come up and down here all the time and I’ve never seen a kid out here,” another person, Larry Brown, said.

Other family members spoke out

Ronnie Fletcher, the uncle of the children, was “horrified” when he learned the truth about the Siders family on the news. He thought they only had 10 kids, not 16.

“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.”

Some people saw at least one kid in public

Though the vast majority of locals confessed to not knowing anything about the Siders’ alleged abuse, Dollar General employee Ariel Gutierrez remembered seeing at least one of the kids.

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

One child was reportedly kept close to Gary and Elizabeth, but Ariel did clock how thin they were as they covered their face with their hair. The smell was so bad that employees gave the family hygiene products they never used.

Okay, so what’s next?

The Siders family have now all recieved lawyers, with Dorian Baum representing Gary Siders Sr, Kandra Roberts representing Christina Siders, Lee Roberts Jr. representing Gary Siders Jr, and Thomas Stolly representing Elizabeth Siders.

The family have waived their right to a preliminary hearing, where lawyers would have provided trial evidence, so it’s looking like the case will move to a grand jury. It’s up to them to decide whether there is enough evidence to prosecute, and on what charges. They could end up with even more charges.

The case continues.

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