COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A theme in the investigation of the 16 children rescued this week from a southeastern Ohio home is the shock expressed in how the situation went unnoticed for some four years.

Authorities and NBC4 are asking a number of questions after the discovery of the children who allegedly were kept isolated in a 12-by-12 room inside of a Vinton County home in Hamden, a village of about 700 people.

Sheriff’s deputies went there Tuesday to serve a warrant for a “parallel case” involving one of the four adults living in the home. Investigators were not prepared for what they found – 16 children, who Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described as “almost feral,” ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years, living in a small room of a five-room, one-bathroom home.

“I have never seen anything like what I saw today,” Wilson said Wednesday. “It really looked third world. It is not something we are used to seeing in America. I cannot get the smell off of me.”

Arrested and charged on multiple counts of endangering children were Gary Siders, 73; Christina Siders, 66; Gary Siders II, 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33.

Wilson, along with Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain and Prosecutor William Archer cautioned that the investigation will likely take time due to several circumstances, including that the alleged victims have difficulty communicating.

“One of the investigative challenges is that [the children] are limited. They can communicate, but it’s extremely limited and some not at all,” Cain said.

Those challenges have the investigation moving slowly, while the public waits for answers into how the Siders family came to live in Vinton County and what led to 16 children living in conditions described as “horrific.”

NBC4 Investigates
There has only been a glimpse into the scene, where video footage has captured images of outside the home, as investigators continue to comb through piles of trash, debris, feces and any additional evidence leading to how the children were kept there.

Several queries have been sent to state, county and city government agencies regarding a host of unanswered questions.

In accordance with Ohio Open Records law, NBC4 contacted the Vinton County Auditor’s Office requesting property inspection records for the Siders’ Ohmer Street home over the past five years. The inquiry includes a request for citations or any complaints from that address. A representative from the auditor’s office said that “all inquiries related to this matter must be directed to the prosecutor for review and response.”

All four attorneys representing the adult Siders have been contacted. Attorneys for Christina Siders (Kandra Roberts), Gary Siders II (R. Lee. Roberts Jr.) and Elizabeth Siders (Thomas Stolly) declined to comment with NBC4.

“It’s important that everybody is enтιтled the presumption of innocence, Mr. Siders is just like everyone else in this country,” Dorian Baum, counsel for Gary Sider Sr., said. “And whatever you may think you know, or whatever you may have heard out, there is certainly only one side of the story. It’s only the story that’s been released by the state.”

Seven children were hospitalized in the Columbus area, including two who were flown to trauma centers. Authorities have not yet offered an update on their conditions or if any of them remain under medical care. Nationwide Children’s Hospital did not confirm any arrival relative to the investigation and would not comment on the case, citing patient privacy. An inquiry with Child and Family Services has also not yet been returned.

Social media has been rampant with alleged theories, pH๏τos and false claims from the Siders house and/or the family’s history. NBC4 has been able to debunk several false claims. A social media and YouTube post attempted to link Gary Siders II to a 2021 arrest alleging theft from a Pike County construction site. However, court records confirmed that the accused had a different birthday. Additionally, several videos and social media users have posted pH๏τos that claim to be from inside the Siders house. But as of Saturday, no pH๏τos have been confirmed of the interior.

Marital records
Gary Siders II and Elizabeth Siders were legally married in Mason County, West Virginia, when they were teenagers. An employee with the Mason County Clerk of Courts confirmed the marriage with NBC4. Their address was listed as Bulaville Pike, in Gallapolis, Ohio, across the river from Mason County.

Gary Siders II was 18 years old and had finished ninth grade, Elizabeth Ann Russell was 15 and had finished eighth grade. Four parents signed the marriage certificate – Gary Lee Siders and Christian White for Gary II, and Brian Russell and Lori Ann Raines for Elizabeth.

The oldest child was born two months later.

The children
The children were removed from the home and are in protective custody with Ohio Job and Family Services. Court records note that their ages as 18, 16, 15, 14, 13, 11, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4 (twins), 2 (twins) and 1.5 years (twins). The Vinton County School District said there is no record indicating any of the children involved have been enrolled as students. What is not yet confirmed is who the parents are. Wilson said the investigation is an “intra-family case,” but no one knew that children lived in the home when the warrant was served.

Court records
The Siders adults were arrested after a warrant was issued in a case that the sheriff’s office called a parallel investigation. The court-authorized search warrants were part of an investigation involving allegations of domestic abuse and child neglect but unrelated to the current case.

It is believed that authorities were also serving a warrant for Gary Siders II, who is separately charged with indecent exposure. Records state that on May 23, May 27, May 29 and May 31, Siders II exposed himself outside of the Ohmer Street home and that it involved people “who are not members of his household.”

That warrant was filed on Monday, and he is due in court for an arraignment hearing Thursday.

The Siders’ house
According to Vinton County property records, the Ohmer Street house is part of a trust in the name of a Hamden woman who died in April 2025. As of Friday, there is no confirmed connection between the owner and the Siders, though the Hamden Village Water Department lists Christina Siders’ name for water, sewer and trash services.

The family of 20 lived in the home, which includes a first floor of 1,336 square feet with an additional 518-square-foot basement, is up to date on property tax payments, the last of which occurring in February in the amount of $960.88.

Multiple air conditioners were observed in the windows of the home, but American Electric Power declined to comment if the home was receiving power.

The case
According to Vinton County records, neither defendant has a future court appearance scheduled as of Friday. All of them have been ᴀssigned counsel, and two have filed a motion for discovery and bill of particulars, as well as disclosed evidence with the prosecution. Attorneys for Christina and Elizabeth siders have yet to file motions.

Judge Laina Fetheroff Rogers issued the defendants $300,000 bonds apiece, with each charge carrying a minimum sentence of 2-to-8 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 12 years.

A potential maximum sentence on all 16 counts would produce a sentence of up to 192 years for each defendant.