From 2008 to 2026: Chain of events before the Siders got arrested and 16 Ohio kids were rescued

The rescue of 16 children from a home in Hamden, Ohio, has shocked people around the world, but a lot happened before the Siders family were arrested on 30 June 2026.

Over the past two weeks, court records, birth records, police statements and interviews with family members have slowly revealed what life looked like for the Siders family in the years leading up to the rescue.

So, here’s everything we know so far.

March 2008: Elizabeth Siders married Gary when she was just 15

One of the first details to emerge after the arrests was the age of the children’s parents when they got married. According to marriage records, Elizabeth Siders was just 15 years old when she married Gary Siders Jr, who was 18.

The couple married on 31 March 2008 at the courthouse in Mason County, West Virginia, despite both living on the same street in Gallipolis, Ohio, at the time. West Virginia law at the time allowed under-18s to marry with parental consent and judicial approval.

Court records also show Elizabeth had completed only an eighth-grade education, while Gary had completed ninth grade.

Just two months later, in May 2008, Elizabeth gave birth to the couple’s oldest known child at a hospital in Gallia County.

2008 to 2025: Elizabeth gave birth to 18 children

via Facebook/Southern Ohio Regional Jail

Birth and death records have also revealed just how large the family became over the years. It has been reported that Elizabeth gave birth to 18 children between 2008 and 2025. Sixteen of those children survived and were rescued from the Hamden home.

Court and hospital records show Elizabeth gave birth regularly throughout those years, including daughters in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2020, sons in 2014 and 2019, another child in 2022, and two sets of twins in 2024 and 2025.

It was also reported that Elizabeth gave birth to conjoined twin girls, Faith Lee Siders and Bailey Lee Siders, in November 2022. The babies were born at just 24 weeks and were diagnosed with thoracopagus, meaning they were joined at the chest. They both died of natural causes within an hour of being born.

Authorities have since confirmed that the 16 children rescued last month ranged in age from around 17 or 18 months to 18 years old.

2009 to 2024: The family moved home again and again

As more public records were released, they revealed that the family rarely stayed in one place for very long. Birth records show the family first lived in Gallipolis before moving to a rural property in Gallia County around 2009. They appeared to remain there for roughly seven years while several of the children were born.

Records then show another move within Gallia County in 2017, followed by another address near Gallipolis in 2019.

By 2020, the family had moved to Cheshire, Ohio, where they remained for several years. Birth records from 2022 and 2024 both listed the same Cheshire address.

January 2017: Gary Jr had a run-in with police years earlier

In January 2017, Gary Siders Jr was cited for driving without a booster seat for a child. He later pleaded guilty and paid a $165 fine.

Aside from that traffic offence, Elizabeth’s lawyer has said she has no known criminal history.

January 2025: The family moved to the Hamden home

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via Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson

By January 2025, records show the family had moved once again, this time to the house on Ohmer Street in Hamden, Vinton County, where the children were eventually rescued.

Investigators now believe the frequent moves may have helped the family avoid attention. Speaking after the rescue, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said, “These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids.”

Wilson also said investigators believe the family avoided creating the normal paper trail many families leave behind, including school records and, in some cases, birth documentation that authorities are still trying to verify.

According to NewsNation, local school districts in Gallia County, Gallipolis City Schools and Vinton County all said they had no records showing any of the children had ever been enrolled.

Authorities also said the family had connections to Jackson County, Pike County and even Wisconsin, although investigators are still piecing together the full timeline.

May 2026: The alleged indecent exposure incidents

via Southern Ohio Regional Jail

Weeks before the children were discovered, Gary Siders Jr was accused of exposing himself to people who were not members of his household on four separate occasions during May 2026 at the Hamden property.

Those allegations resulted in an arrest warrant being issued. Authorities have also said officers were investigating what they described as a separate or “parallel” case involving allegations of domestic abuse and child neglect. Officials have not released many details about that investigation but have confirmed it was separate from the child endangerment case now before the courts.

30 June 2026: Officers arrived at the house

When deputies entered the property on 30 June 2026, they were expecting to arrest Gary Siders Jr. Instead, officers discovered 16 children living in what authorities described as “horrific and deplorable conditions”.

According to investigators, many of the children had spent much of the previous four years confined to a single 12ft by 12ft room surrounded by human waste for four years.

30 June 2026 onwards: The Siders were arrested, and the children were rescued

via NBC

Seven children were taken to hospital after being rescued, including two who were airlifted to trauma centres. One child was initially in a critical condition.

That same day, Elizabeth Siders, Gary Siders Jr, Gary Siders Sr and Christina Siders were all arrested. Each was charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment involving serious physical harm.

All four have pleaded not guilty. Since then, they have all waived their preliminary hearings, meaning the case is expected to move before a grand jury.

Gary Siders Sr has since been released on a recognisance bond because of medical issues. Elizabeth Siders has also asked the court to reduce her bond.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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