HAMDEN, Ohio (AP) — Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday.
Some of the children discovered Tuesday were unable to speak and one — an 18-year-old who was developmentally disabled — could not even write her name, investigators said.
“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. “Just a disgusting scene.”
The children’s parents and two grandparents were charged with felony child endangerment, a prosecutor said.
Authorities found the children while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday at a news conference.
Officials said it seemed as if no one outside the family knew about the children, who weren’t enrolled in school.
“We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there,” said Wilson, who was nearly at a loss for words in describing what officials found in the tiny village of Hamden that sits in one of Ohio’s poorest counties.
“It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America,” he said.
Rescued children looked like ‘feral animals’
The sheriff said it appears the children spent most of their time in a room that was roughly 12 feet by 12 feet (3.5 meters by 3.5 meters). He didn’t disclose how the kids were kept inside the home, but said authorities didn’t find any cages in the house.
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 helicopter. One was in critical condition on Tuesday while some of the others were admitted for care, Wilson said.
“They looked like almost feral animals,” Wilson said. “It was terrible.”
The children were in temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.
Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said the four adults were charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.”
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf and set bond at $300,000 for each. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.
Steve Irwin, a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, would not say whether all of the children are siblings or how they were related.
Neighbor saw ‘no kids at all’
The house where the children were found sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through Hamden. The closest neighbors are separated by trees and thick brush, but the house is easily visible from the road.
An open door revealed bits of trash inside while a wooden deck and the backyard were filled with discarded tires, a high chair and other debris.
Investigators said members of the family had moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and that it looks like they avoided setting up medical and government records.
“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,” Wilson said.
Investigators were reviewing whether the family was reported to any children’s services agencies in the past.
Neighbor Joseph Stewart, 60, said he saw “no kids at all” since the family moved in three houses down and that he could clearly see the house and yard when passing by.
“It’s a sad situation,” he said. Stewart has lived on the street for six years and called it “a quiet neighborhood.”
On Wednesday, the home’s doors and windows stood open to the sweltering 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.
Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.
The discovery of the children is reminiscent of past horrific cases of family abuse.
In 2019, David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children at their home in California, starving them and providing only a minimal education.
They were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The couple were arrested in 2018 after their 17-year-old daughter escaped from the home and called 911.
Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, and Julie Watson in San Diego contributed.