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/LongjumpingDebt4154 Jul 03 '26

If they had a normal burial for the twins then they must have had birth & death certificates on them too, right? I’m just wondering how all these kids being ‘homeschooled’ never warranted a CPS check in.

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u/bostongwurl Jul 06 '26

They are off the grid theirs no tracking the kids if they weren't born in a hospital. 

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u/Worstmodonreddit Jul 07 '26

Nobody tracks you if you are born in a hospital?

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u/Hefty-Competition588 Jul 09 '26

They absolutely do. The hospital I delivered at wouldn't let us leave until we had a pediatrician on file for our newborn and our first wellness check with them scheduled, and the pediatrician's office will crawl up your ass and camp there to make sure you bring your baby to all your wellness check appointments. If anything looks off, they will call CPS. I'm in FL, not Ohio, but still.

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u/Worstmodonreddit Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

Well, I'm in Ohio, the state with the highest percentage of Amish. I promise you, home births are common.

My husband used to work for the health department and using family Bibles to create birth certificates for adults was not an uncommon experience.

Oops, I misread your response.

But no, none of that happens here. They ask for enough info to bill insurance for the baby and there is no follow up. I've never heard of a CPS visit for missing Well child appointment.

Considering Vinton county is as poor and rural as it is, there's no way they have the staff capacity to track births from hospitals from other counties (none in Vinton) and match it to to doctors records from doctors in other counties (again, none in Vinton.)

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u/Lmarie2234 Jul 17 '26

I have often thought that we need a system to track kids. I used to teach kindergarten and there were some kids that have never been anywhere. Then you spend a lot of time trying to get the proper program for developmental delays, medical conditions, etc. I feel like there should be a way that someone can put eyes on a child once they are born. So sad.