Authorities in Ohio rescued 16 children, some with serious medical conditions, from a home where officials said they lived in “deplorable conditions.” Four adults have been arrested in connection to what police are calling a horrifying case.
State and local law enforcement executed a search warrant on June 30 at a home in the small village of Hamden in Vinton County, about 80 miles southeast of Columbus.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, during a news conference, said what happened at the home was “pure evil,” and called it the worst scene he has seen in his career.
“Conditions you cannot even imagine people living in, let alone children,” Wilson told reporters.
The children, ranging from age 18 months to 18 years and some with serious medical conditions, were removed from the home, Wilson said. Two of the children, he said, were flown by medical helicopter to Level 1 trauma centers.
Wilson said it was not a human trafficking case but declined to discuss further details.
The warrant was part of an investigation that officials said has been going on for some time.
“The scene is horrific, and these are horrific allegations,” Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said after the warrant was executed.
As of July 1, the children were receiving medical care, and authorities said they were working to “get them placed.”
Gary L. Siders Sr., Gary L. Siders Jr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders were arrested and charged with 16 counts of felony child endangerment in connection with the case, Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said.
All four were slated to appear in court on July 1 to be arraigned on the charges, reported the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network.
It was not immediately known whether the people charged had obtained legal counsel.
In a written statement, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he and his wife were praying for the victims, and thanked child services workers, law enforcement and medical personnel who are assisting the affected children.
“It is heartbreaking to learn the conditions that these children were living in, and to learn of their medical conditions,” DeWine wrote. “Attorney General Wilson is an experienced prosecutor and he has told me he has never seen anything like what he saw today… The Director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, Kara Wente, has been working today to assist Vinton County Children’s Services, and will continue to help in the days ahead.”
Records reviewed by the Columbus Dispatch show at least one of the Siders has lived in Hamden since June 2025, and that the Siders had previously lived in other parts of southern Ohio.
Mark Ousley, 57, lives one street up from the home where the children were rescued and called the allegations against the four suspects “very disturbing,” The Columbus Dispatch reported.
“I’m surprised something like that could happen right beside me,” Ousley told The Dispatch. He described Hamden as relatively quiet and peaceful.
Petey Angels, 64, another neighbor, said he was also shocked at the allegations. Like Ousley, he said he never saw children anywhere near the home and would’ve never guessed that there were kids living in the home to begin with.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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