HAMDEN, OHIO — Elizabeth Siders and three other family members were arrested on June 30, 2020, after 16 children were removed from a home in Hamden, Ohio. Each of the four individuals faces 16 counts of child endangerment.

Elizabeth Siders, 33; Gary Siders Jr., 36; Gary Siders Sr., 73; and Christina Siders, who is 66 or 67, pleaded not guilty to the charges on July 1. Bail was set at $30,000 for each defendant. The children, ranging in age from 1.5 years to 18 years, had been confined to a 12-foot by 12-foot room for much of the previous four years, and human waste was found in the home.

Seven of the children were transported to hospitals in Columbus, with two flown by helicopter to trauma centers on June 30. One child was in critical condition and required intubation. Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer stated, "This is an intra-family situation. This is not human trafficking."

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said that their livestock was kept "in better conditions than the children," while Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson stated the children "looked like almost feral animals."

Court records indicate that Elizabeth Siders and Gary Siders Jr. were married in March 2008 in West Virginia. Elizabeth Siders was 15 years old and seven months pregnant at the time, while Gary Siders Jr. was 18 years old. Elizabeth Siders' parents provided consent for the marriage. The oldest child found in the home, who is 18, was born two months after the marriage. This child is developmentally disabled and unable to write her name. Additionally, none of the children were enrolled in school, and some were unable to speak.