A newly surfaced report has added more disturbing details to the Ohio case involving 16 children removed from a home in what investigators described as horrifying conditions, including the death of a set of premature conjoined twin daughters in 2022.
Authorities executed a search warrant on June 30 at a residence in Hamden, in Vinton County, and found 16 children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old, in what officials described as deplorable conditions. Investigators said the children had largely been confined to a single small room and that human waste was present in the home.
Elizabeth Siders, 33, was arrested after the discovery, along with her partner Gary Siders Jr. and his parents, Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders.
Fresh reporting has also shed light on the deaths of Siders’ conjoined twin girls, who were born prematurely on November 20, 2022.
Records obtained by WOWK 13 state that Bailey Lee and Faith Lee Siders were delivered at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
The twins were born at 24 weeks and had thoracopagus, a condition in which the chest area is joined in the womb. Their faces and chests were fused together, and they later died of natural causes.
Officials allege the children had been living for at least four years in a room contaminated with human waste.
In a statement, Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said:
“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children. It’s just a disgusting scene, conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children living in.”
Seven of the children were taken to hospitals in Columbus. Two others were airlifted by helicopter to a level one trauma center because officials said their condition was particularly serious.
Investigators are continuing to examine the family situation after learning the children had never been enrolled in school and reportedly have very limited communication skills.
According to investigators, the oldest child, who is 18, cannot write her own name.
It is still not known whether Elizabeth Siders and Gary Siders Jr. are the biological parents of all 16 children, though one of the family’s attorneys has said all 16 children are theirs. Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson referred to the case as an “intra-family” situation.
Vinton County Prosecuting Attorney William Archer said each of the four adults is facing 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment, while state officials later said additional charges could still be filed as the investigation continues.
During their initial court appearance, all four defendants entered not guilty pleas.
Authorities have also said the Siders family had moved around several Ohio counties since 2008 and appeared to have avoided creating medical and government records during that time.
Neighbors told First Alert 6 they were unaware any children were living at the home.
The Vinton County Sheriff’s Office has been contacted for comment.