{"id":3578,"date":"2026-07-02T14:09:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3578"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:09:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:09:43","slug":"16-children-rescued-from-ohio-home-were-almost-feral-authorities-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3578","title":{"rendered":"16 children rescued from Ohio home were \u2018almost feral,\u2019 authorities say"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JULIE CARR SMYTH and JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

HAMDEN, Ohio\u00a0 \u2014 Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday.<\/p>

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Some of the children discovered Tuesday were unable to speak and one \u2014 an 18-year-old who was developmentally disabled \u2014 could not even write her name, investigators said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,\u201d said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. \u201cJust a disgusting scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

The children\u2019s parents and two grandparents were charged with felony child endangerment, a prosecutor said.<\/p>\n

Authorities found the children while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday at a news conference.<\/p>\n

Officials said it seemed as if no one outside the family knew about the children, who weren\u2019t enrolled in school.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t know there were going to be 16 kids there,\u201d said Wilson, who was nearly at a loss for words in describing what officials found in the tiny village of Hamden that sits in one of Ohio\u2019s poorest counties.<\/p>

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\u201cIt\u2019s the type of thing that we\u2019re not used to seeing here in America,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rescued children looked like \u2018feral animals\u2019<\/h4>\n

The sheriff said it appears the children spent most of their time in a room that was roughly 12 feet by 12 feet (3.5 meters by 3.5 meters). He didn\u2019t disclose how the kids were kept inside the home, but said authorities didn\u2019t find any cages in the house.<\/p>\n

The children ranged in age from 1 1\/2 years to 18 years old and included both boys and girls, officials said. Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus and two were flown by helicopter. One was in critical condition on Tuesday while some of the others were admitted for care, Wilson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey looked like almost feral animals,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cIt was terrible.\u201d<\/p>

\n<\/div>\n

The children were in temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.<\/p>\n

Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said the four adults were charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves \u201cserious physical harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf and set bond at $300,000 for each. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.<\/p>\n

Steve Irwin, a spokesperson for the attorney general\u2019s office, would not say whether all of the children are siblings or how they were related.<\/p>

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Neighbor saw \u2018no kids at all\u2019<\/h4>\n

The house where the children were found sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through Hamden. The closest neighbors are separated by trees and thick brush, but the house is easily visible from the road.<\/p>\n

An open door revealed bits of trash inside while a wooden deck and the backyard were filled with discarded tires, a high chair and other debris.<\/p>\n

Investigators said members of the family had moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and that it looks like they avoided setting up medical and government records.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n

Investigators were reviewing whether the family was reported to any children\u2019s services agencies in the past.<\/p>\n