Resurfaced court filings share sad insight into lives of the 16 ‘habitually truant’ Siders kids

Though we’re yet to receive a detailed update on the 16 Siders kids, newly seen court documents have highlighted how the State was somewhat aware of the case.

Earlier this month, the 16 kids were rescued from their parents and grandparents after police discovered them living in a tiny, bug-infested room. The four adults, including mum Elizabeth Siders, were arrested and charged with second-degree felony child endangerment, which could see them locked away for 192 years.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, which has been covering the story at the local level for weeks, Gallia County Juvenile Court filed six complaints against Gary Siders Jr and Elizabeth Siders in October 2021. Court documents showed that the parents failed to send their kids to school, with six kids aged between seven and 13 also receiving truancy complaints filed in court. They were supposed to be attending Addaville Elementary School.

Credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail

In the court documents seen by the Columbus Dispatch, the parents were told that six of their kids were of elementary school age and had been “absent from school without legitimate excuse for the entire 2021-2022 academic year to present.” It meant the kids were classed as “habitual truant”, according to Ohio State law.

This obviously leads to the question of why the State did nothing, but court entries in 2022 showed that officials were unable to locate the Siders’ family home.

It’s not immediately clear what the case was with the other 10 kids.

A lack of address was a factor in the Siders family’s kids going undetected

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Over the last few weeks, people on social media have consistently questioned how the adult Siders managed to keep 16 kids a secret. Location certainly played a part, as did keeping them out of the school system, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said.

“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids. 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,” he explained, adding elsewhere, “They were pretty adept at keeping these kids out of sight and away from investigators’ eyes.”

Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer further delved into that, saying that it’s easier to “get away” with hiding kids when you move around a lot.

“You get away with it because you conceal it by moving over and over again. You don’t let the children out of the house, and you keep them in that basement,” she said.

The investigation continues.

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Featured image credit: Southern Ohio Regional Jail and WOWK