Southeast Ohio Regional Jail
By 
Nadia Santiago
The Ohio attorney general says the 16 siblings, ages 18 months to 18 months, looked like “pets” when deputies found them on June 30, kept for nearly 4 years in a room about 12 by 12 feet. Their mother, Elizabeth Siders, was 15 when a West Virginia judge approved her marriage to Gary Siders Jr., who was 18 at the time.
Attorney General Andy Wilson says the children, some of whom cannot speak, were in urgent need of help. 7 were taken to hospitals in Columbus and 2 were taken to Level 1 trauma centers. An 18-year-old girl with developmental disabilities could not write her name.
The siblings were found on June 30 in Hamden, a town of less than 800 people in Vinton County, Ohio. Vinton County deputies came to the home to serve a search warrant in connection with a separate investigation. Investigators said the children had been kept for most of the past four years in a 12-by-12-foot room, which was unsanitary and unregistered at school. Wilson said the family had moved to Ohio since 2008, avoiding the creation of medical and government records.
Authorities arrested 4 adults: the children’s father, Gary Siders Jr., 36; his mother, Elizabeth Siders, 33; and their paternal grandparents, Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 67. Each has been charged with 16 counts of child endangerment, and four have pleaded not guilty. Bond was originally set at $300,000 cash each with GPS monitoring and no contact with children. Gary Siders Sr. he was later released on recognizance bond due to medical issues. On July 7, all four waived their right to a preliminary hearing.
Court records in Mason County, West Virginia, show that Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders were legally married there on March 31, 2008, when he was 18 years old and she was 15 years old, with parental consent and a judge’s consent. The marriage was officiated by then District Court Judge David Nibert. Both young people were living in Gallia County, Ohio, at the time. Their first child was born about 2 months later.
Authorities have not confirmed that Elizabeth Siders gave birth to all 16 children, although her attorney, Thomas Stolly, said it was his understanding that she was the mother of all of them. Stolly also said he is checking to see if his client is a victim. Separately, People reported that Elizabeth Siders gave birth to conjoined twins who died shortly after birth.
Officials described the situation as family neglect rather than trafficking, and said the investigation is ongoing. All 16 children are still in state custody, receiving health and social care.
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