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Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in a rural area of Ohio were living in miserable conditions, with human waste everywhere and confined to a single room for much of the last four years, authorities reported on Wednesday.
Some of the children discovered on Tuesday could not speak, and one—an 18-year-old with developmental disabilities—could not even write her own name, investigators indicated.
“Most of our livestock live in better conditions than these children,” said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. “Just a disgusting scene.”
The children's parents and two grandparents were charged with child endangerment, a prosecutor said.
Authorities found the children while executing a search warrant in an unrelated investigation, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday at a press conference.
Officials said it appeared as though no one outside the family knew about the children, who were not enrolled in school.
“We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there,” said Wilson, who was nearly speechless while describing what officials found in the tiny town of Hamden, which is located in one of Ohio’s poorest counties.
Los niños rescatados parecían “animales salvajes”
The sheriff said it appears the children spent most of their time in a room approximately 12 feet by 12 feet. He did not disclose how the children were kept inside the house, but said authorities did not find cages in the home.
The children ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years and included both boys and girls, authorities reported. Seven were taken to hospitals in Columbus and two were transported by helicopter. One was in critical condition on Tuesday, while some of the others were hospitalized for care, Wilson said.
“They looked almost feral,” Wilson said. “It was terrible.”
The children were in the temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer noted that all four adults were charged with child endangerment, a second-degree felony, because the case involves “serious physical harm.”
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders, and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court on Wednesday, where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf and set a $300,000 bond for each. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.
Steve Irwin, a spokesperson for the attorney general's office, would not say if all the children are siblings or how they were related.
Vecino no vio “ningún niño”
The house where the children were found is on a secluded road next to a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through Hamden. The nearest 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 littered 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 appears they avoided establishing medical and government records.
“These people were pretty good at hiding these children,” Wilson indicated.
Investigators were reviewing whether the family was reported to any child services agency in the past.
Neighbor Joseph Stewart, 60, claimed he did not see “any children” since the family moved in three houses away, and that he could clearly see the house and yard when passing by.
“It’s a sad situation,” he commented. Stewart has lived on the street for six years and called it “a quiet neighborhood.”
On Wednesday, the house's doors and windows remained open. Discarded children's items — two broken bicycles, a plastic play table, a beach bucket, and two infant carriers — were piled in the yard.
Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 and is about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.
The discovery of the children is reminiscent of previous 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 in their California home, starving them, and providing them with only minimal education.
They were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The couple was arrested in 2018 after their 17-year-old daughter escaped the home and called 911.
[Publicidad]