Sixteen children described by authorities as “almost feral” were discovered living in a feces-filled home in Vinton County, Ohio, after sheriff’s deputies arrived to serve an unrelated warrant, the New York Post reports. Investigators say no agency knew the children existed until deputies came to the door.
Deputies went to the home last week to serve Gary Siders II with a warrant for indecent exposure. Instead, they found 16 children — ranging in age from roughly 18 months to 18 years — allegedly kept isolated and crammed into a single 12-foot-by-12-foot room littered with human waste. Officials say some of the children had lived in those conditions for at least four years and had never been enrolled in school.
Four adult family members, all named Siders, were arrested: Gary Siders II; his wife, Elizabeth Siders, 33; and his parents, Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 66. Each faces multiple counts of child endangerment — up to 16 counts apiece — and is being held on a $300,000 bond. If convicted on all charges, each could face up to 192 years in prison, according to court records cited by the Post.
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said the children’s condition has made the investigation difficult. “One of the investigative challenges is that [the children] are limited,” Cain said. “They can communicate, but it’s extremely limited, and some not at all.” Officials say it remains unclear exactly who all of the children’s parents are.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, who described the situation as an “intra-family case,” told reporters the scene was unlike anything he had encountered. “It really looked third world,” Wilson said. “It is not something we are used to seeing in America. I cannot get the smell off of me.”
Seven of the children were hospitalized in the Columbus area, including two taken to trauma centers, according to the report. The four adults were booked into the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail, with the case now drawing scrutiny over how more than a dozen children could go unnoticed by any agency for years.