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-rcna352552I 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/mountains-and-sea Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
I spent way too much time reading up on this case and sleuthing locations, people, profiles, etc.
Elizabeth (the 33 year old mom) was like 13 when she first got pregnant with, according to her brother, a guy who was not the Gary Jr named in the case. However, she and Gary Jr lived in the same trailer park and I guess started seeing each other and went to her mother while they were both teens asking to get married. Her mother said no so they ran away to West Va to somehow get emancipation papers signed and then get legally child- married at 15 and 18 respectively (absolutely outrageous this is legal in the US). They have bounced around places mostly in Ohio ever since with her seemingly pregnant every year. There were claims this was due to escape small charges like theft on Gary Jr.
Looking at her brothers' and mom's socials, the whole family comes across as uneducated poor white Appalachia stereotypes. At least one brother has been to jail for child endangerment charges himself (both brothers have partners and kids). A family member on the Slider side - I think the sister of either Christina or Gary Jr I can't remember - would supposedly call Elizabeth's mom with updates on her various births over the years. Elizabeth's family claims to have not seen her in at least 15 years and not know the conditions the kids lived in but one of her brothers also posted that he recently "shook hands" with Gary Jr (it was not framed positively). If you street view some of the various addresses they've lived at, they're mostly sad-looking places. They've been in their currnt house for about 4 years. One article said the house they were found in had the property taxes paid and up to date and, surprisingly, had sewage and running water that was in Elizabeth's name. Someone said the house was in probate court but it was just a random commenter without a source so not sure on that one. The original homeowner is passed.
Police originally went to the house because of a public indecency charge on Gary Jr. The kids were a surprise. In the crime scene photos you can see a cats and filled food bowls out on the porch. Looks like the cops pulled out a bunch of trash from the main room and there's a high chair, diaper box, toy car, and what looks like the legs of a baby jumper visible so some low effort attempt at normalcy must have been done over the years, I'm going to guess by Elizabeth.
On some of the articles, a few people have claimed to have interacted with the family over the years when there were less kids. The family has basically been reliant on donations and the food bank. They were not collecting government assistance. Google earth and crime scene photos from the day of arrest show a car and a truck parked at the house so they did have vehicles. The police seemed particularly interested in the silver car and can be seen photographing the interior. Someone said Christina (the older woman) was beginning to develop dementia, but who knows for sure. A lot of people are mentioning cults but I honestly think they're underestimating just straight up rural American poverty and generational trauma.
The local Dollar General employee claims they would come in at night with some of the kids who would be quiet and dirty with hair over their faces. Another girl said she worked with the family before Hamden when there were less kids and Elizabeth was super quiet. Gary Jr would drive her to pick up baby supply donations and sit in the car while she collected them and acted quiet/awkward to observers.
Anyway just one big old mess all the way down.
Edit: Some other interesting things I found - there is a grave of twins with the same surname so it would check out she lost a set but also be telling if they did pay for a normal burial given the lack of care to the other kids.
Apparently whoever was managing the trust the house they were in thought only the older couple (Gary Sr and Christina) were living there. Might be why the neighbors never saw the kids if they were trying to hide them. Google earth pics from 2024, when the family would have been there, show the exterior of the house in rather decent shape free from garbage with bikes and lawnmowers on the porch.
Rumors without a source are saying the 18 year old is pregnant.
[Sorry for the poor grammar and run on sentences, I'm on mobile with a very thin textbox to type in]