COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ronnie Fletcher, uncle to 16 children rescued in Vinton County last week, said the rest of the family was “horrified” and had no idea what was going on in the Siders’ home in Hamden.

“My wife will take the last $5 out of her pocket and buy somebody a meal and chance running out of gas to get home,” Fletcher said in an interview with NBC4’s sister station WOWK of Charleston, West Virginia. “We didn’t know this was that way. We would have helped.”

On June 30, Vinton County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at a home in Hamden and found 16 children who were allegedly kept isolated in a 12-by-12 room. Seven of the children were taken to hospitals, with two being flown to trauma centers. Gary Siders, 73, Christina Siders, 66, Gary Siders II, 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, were arrested, and each was charged with 16 counts of endangering children.

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Fletcher has known the Siders family since grade school. His wife is Gary Sr. and Christina’s daughter, one of Gary Jr.’s four older sisters. Although he said he frequented the Siders’ home growing up, he said they had not had a close relationship with Gary Sr., Christina, Gary Jr. or Elizabeth Siders for some time.

Fletcher said he has not known where his in-laws have lived for at least seven years, and last saw Christina — often known as Lynn — about a year ago. Fletcher said the family did not spend Thanksgiving or Christmas together, and the only time the rest of the family typically interacted with the foursome was when Lynn Siders called to ask for money or help paying the bills.

Fletcher spoke with WOWK to offer clarity, as he said the situation for his wife and her three sisters has been “awful” since the news broke. Fletcher said he, his wife and his children have deactivated their social media and are staying in their home without being able to work because they’ve received death threats and people keep driving past their residence.

“Now they’ve got our kids trapped inside because we fear for our kids to let them outside because of these people that are acting crazy,” Fletcher said.

He said he had only met two or three of the rescued Siders’ children, and that was years ago. He said he knew there were a lot of children, but did not know how many, and believed they were being homeschooled. Investigators said none of the children rescued could write their names, and some were not able to communicate.

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Fletcher said the first time he saw the Siders’ home was on the news. The house was up to date on its property tax payments, the most recent payment being paid in February in the amount of $960.88. And, according to Hamden Village Water Department, the house did have running water, with sewer and trash service all in the name of Christina Siders.

Fletcher believes things worsened when the elder Siders were no longer able to manage the home. Fletcher said within the home, he believes there was an autism diagnosis and other mental health concerns. Fletcher said Gary Sr. had a stroke at some point that may have affected his cognitive abilities, and believes things “spiraled” from there.

Growing up, Fletcher said he visited the Siders home multiple times a week and knew them to be a regular family. He strongly denied online allegations that there had been generational abuse or incest within the larger family.

“They (were) a typical American family, you know what I mean? Getting by. They didn’t have tons of money or nothing like that, but they always had a clean home, the kids always went to school,” Fletcher said of the Siders home when he, his wife and Gary II were growing up.

An employee with the Mason County Clerk of Courts in West Virginia confirmed that on March 31, 2008, Gary Siders II and Elizabeth Siders were married at the ages of 18 and 15, respectively. The oldest child found in the home was born two months later, May 30, 2008.

Because of the timeline, many users on social media speculate Elizabeth was also a victim due to the age she got married. Fletcher said he did not know if there was violence or other issues in the home, but said Elizabeth was “willingly there.”

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Investigators have kept details of the alleged abuse close to the chest and have not yet shared accusations outside of general allegations about the state of the home. Officials said the scene was “horrific” and alleged livestock were kept in better conditions.

“I think if they would have waited another 24 hours, there was a very high probability that we’d be dealing with a death or multiple deaths of these children,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said.

Fletcher asked people to stop harᴀssing him, his wife and their kids, some of whom have medical degrees and who were raised differently than their cousins. He said his wife has been unable to work, making it harder to properly care for their own children and put food on the table. He asked the public to stop blaming his family when he said they knew nothing about the alleged abuse.

“We’ve done what we could for that family at the arm’s length that they was keeping us at,” Fletcher said.

The Siders adults have another court hearing on Tuesday, and officers said the investigation is ongoing. All four suspects pleaded not guilty and are each being held on a $300,000 bond.