“LIVESTOCK HAS BEEN KEPT IN BETTER CONDITIONS…” – Authorities have revealed disturbing details after rescuing 16 children from an Ohio home, describing the living conditions as worse than those used to house farm animals.
Ohio authorities said several children needed emergency medical care, and investigators believe multiple lives may have been saved by the intervention.
VINTON COUNTY, Ohio — Sixteen children were removed from an Ohio home this week after they were found living in what officials described as “deplorable conditions,” leading to felony child endangerment charges against four adults.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old, were rescued after investigators executed a search warrant at the home Tuesday in Vinton County.
Four adults — Gary Siders Sr., Gary Siders Jr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders — were each charged with 17 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment.
Officials have not disclosed what prompted the investigation but said the children were living in some of the worst conditions investigators had encountered.
“This is pure evil,” Wilson said.
Authorities said several of the children were in serious condition when they were found. Two were flown to hospitals for treatment, while seven others were transported to medical facilities for evaluation.
Wilson said one child was admitted to an intensive care unit and was intubated. He added that investigators believe multiple children could have died had authorities not intervened when they did.
He added that they were living in “deplorable conditions” and that it was one of the worst environments he has seen in his career. During an update on Wednesday, Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said the county keeps its livestock in better living conditions than what the children were living in. He said there was a high presence of bacteria and human feces.
Authorities said that the incident was isolated to the family. The suspects involved in the case were the grandmother, grandfather, mother and father.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said a parallel investigation led authorities to the house and the children.
He added that the children are safe. The process is in place to take them into temporary custody of Vinton County Job and Family Services.
While not going into many details about the case, Wilson said the home’s conditions were almost indescribable and that it was the worst case he’s ever seen.
“What I saw until this point is almost beyond comprehension in this country…and that it can happen in a house where there are people taking care of kids,” he said.
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said he observed a “high presence” of bacterial and human feces when collecting evidence from the home. He added that the children “were literally about to fall through the floor.”
“Livestock has been kept in better conditions than the children,” he described. “I believe it was typical even law enforcement has experience with homes in similar fashion. The children were kept in a 12×12 area in what seems like the last four years.”
Authorities said when attempting to interact with the children, some didn’t know how to speak, read or write.
The attorney general said the case is not believed to be related to human trafficking. Officials also said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Authorities said the family had lived at the home for several years after moving among different communities in Ohio. Investigators also said none of the children were enrolled in school.
The investigation remains ongoing.