"Livestock are kept in better conditions": 16 children who lived for 4 years in one room among waste were rescued in the USA

In the state of Ohio, law enforcement officers rescued 16 children from one family who were found in a semi-dilapidated house in a rural area. This was reported by Associated Press.

According to investigators, the children spent most of the last four years living in one small room among human waste. Some of them could not speak, and an 18-year-old girl with developmental disabilities could not even write her own name.

Winton County Sheriff Ryan Kane stated that the conditions in which the children were kept were worse than those in which livestock are usually kept.

According to Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, the children were discovered during the execution of a search warrant as part of another criminal investigation. Law enforcement did not expect to find such a number of children in the house.

The investigation established that the children were not enrolled in school, and there were almost no external signs that they lived in the house.

The children lived in one room

According to the sheriff, the children spent most of their time in a room approximately 3.5 by 3.5 meters. At the same time, he noted that no cages were found in the house during the search.

The children’s ages ranged from one and a half to 18 years old. Seven of them were hospitalized in Columbus hospitals, two more were airlifted by helicopters. One of the children was in critical condition. The others were also hospitalized for examination and treatment.

Andy Wilson said the rescued children looked "almost like feral animals." Currently, all of them are under the temporary care of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Four adults were charged

Winton County Prosecutor William Archer reported that four adults — Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Kristine Siders, and Elizabeth Siders — were charged with a second-degree felony related to creating danger for children that resulted in serious physical harm.

All four appeared in court, where the judge entered pleas of not guilty on their behalf. Bail was set at $300,000 for each. At the time of the court hearing, they had not yet been assigned attorneys.

Investigators are checking the family’s history

Attorney General's representative Steve Irwin said the investigation has not yet determined whether all the rescued children are biological siblings or what their family relationships are.

Law enforcement is also investigating whether there were previous reports about this family to child services.

According to the investigation, family members have repeatedly moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and likely avoided obtaining medical and government documents.

Neighbor Joseph Stewart, who has lived nearby for six years, said he never saw the children near the house, although he had a clear view of the yard from the road.

The house where the children were found is located in the small village of Hamden, with a population of less than a thousand people, about 97 kilometers southeast of Columbus.

As Associated Press notes, this case resembles the high-profile case of the Turpin couple in California, who in 2019 pleaded guilty to years of abuse of their 13 children. The couple was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

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