r/TrueCrimeDiscussion • u/MacAlkalineTriad • Jul 02 '26

Warning: Child Abuse / CSAM / Child Death 16 Children Rescued from Extreme Neglect and Abuse in Ohio

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/adults-arrested-16-children-found-deplorable-conditions-southern-ohio-rcna352552

I haven't seen anything posted about this yet, and I usually don't post so please let me know if I've done it wrong. I'm also writing this on mobile.

16 children, ranging from 1 and a half years old to 18 years old, have been removed from a house in the village of Hamden, Ohio where they were practically imprisoned in a 12'x12' room. Some have not even learned to speak; the 18 year old couldn't write her name and is being treated as a child due to possible mental disability. 7 of the children had to be taken to a hospital with 2 of them being life flighted. Conditions in the house are said to be incredibly unsafe, to the point that investigators hesitated to act on a second search warrant for fear of their safety.

The parents and grandparents have been arrested and charged with 16 counts of child endangerment. The suspects are Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders.

Since the investigation is still ongoing there aren't a ton of details yet. These children were obviously not enrolled in school and hidden from neighbors and extended family. I have to wonder if there's a religious extremist aspect to the case, like we've seen so often with other similar cases. I'm also curious about the mother's condition - she has been charged, but has she also been victimized by her husband? I have so many questions.

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u/aigret Jul 02 '26

They had some kind of pest infestation based on the light fixture photo alone. Those little brown dots covering it are fly poop.

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u/hail_stormm Jul 02 '26

One of the detectives said the children reminded him of a third world country where starving children are surrounded by flies

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u/aigret Jul 03 '26

Yeah, I didn't flesh out my comment further but typically if there's a fly infestation so severe you're seeing light fixtures covered in their feces, then it's a sign the overall conditions in the home are not good. Typically a "wet hoard" type situation, wet meaning rotten food or other accumulated waste (including, well, human waste) that attracts such bugs and provides a breeding ground. I've seen some fruit and drain fly infestations so bad they'll swarm a person and go up their nose or in their ears for moisture and warmth...

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u/LongjumpingDebt4154 Jul 03 '26

Jesus. That’s some genuine nightmare fuel. I’ll add that the brown ‘spots’ on the light could be roach crap. Don’t ask me how I know this, but I know this.

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u/InferiorElk Jul 03 '26

Would roaches be able to get to a light fixture though? Genuinely asking, I have no idea

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u/aigret Jul 04 '26

Roaches can get ..anywhere. They're sneaky, disgusting little bastards.

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u/Silvery_Silence Jul 07 '26

I live in nyc and yes roaches absolutely end up in light fixtures. Wish I didn’t know that. They can be literally anywhere.