This image taken from video released by the Office of Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson shows Wilson speaks during a press conference Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Office of Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson via AP)
UncreditedHAMDEN, Ohio (AP) — The 16 children found living in “deplorable” conditions inside a small, delapidated rural Ohio home are part of the same family, officials said Wednesday.
Authorities arrested four adults Tuesday on felony child endangerment charges after finding the children in the home. Some were in dire need of medical treatment, authorities said.
The four people charged appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday that the conditions inside the house in the village of Hamden were almost indescribable, saying it “really looked third world.”
“It’s just almost beyond comprehension,” he said without providing details about what was inside.
It appeared that the children spent most of their time in just one room for much of the four years they lived there, Wilson said.
The house sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through the tiny village of Hamden in rural Ohio. On Wednesday, its doors and windows stood open to the 94-degree Fahrenheit (34-degree Celsius) heat. A tangle of discarded children’s items -- two busted bicycles, a plastic play table, a beach pail and two infant carriers -- stood in a pile in the yard.
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff’s department searched the home on Tuesday.
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 helicopters.
Law enforcement arrested Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.
Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said they were charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.”
Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.
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Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.
The Associated Press
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