Four adults in Hamden, Ohio, were arrested after 16 children were discovered at a house of horrors, with some of them being unable to speak.
Authorities learned of the situation on June 30 when they reported to the home regarding an unrelated investigation, according to CBS News. It was then that they discovered the children who ranged in ages between 18 months to 18 years old.
Seven of the children were taken to hospitals, with investigators saying that one child was in critical condition. Authorities have not shared the current conditions of the children, and Child welfare officials have taken them into temporary custody.
While not much is known about the case, investigators confirmed that the children weren’t enrolled in school. Authorities also shared that the children remained mostly confined to a small room in the house under deplorable conditions while they were held captive.
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders, Elizabeth Siders and Christina Siders have since been arrested on child endangerment charges and pleaded not guilty to child endangerment. Gary Jr., 36, and Elizabeth, 33, were identified as the children’s parents, while Gary, 73, and Christina, 67, were identified as their grandparents.
Following their arrests, an attorney for Gary and Christina insisted that his clients should be presumed innocent.
“We ask that the community at large, as well as anyone who might have an interest in this case, to take a deep breath, step back, and let the case play out and the facts play out,” Dorian Baum told The Associated Press.
On Wednesday, July 1, a door at the home was left ajar and gave neighbors a view of trash and children’s toys in the residence. The next day, police boarded up the windows and doors amid the investigation.
The house sits on a road next to a steep railroad embankment, and the closest neighbors are separated by trees and thick brush. However, authorities said that the house is easily visible from the road.
The family reportedly moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and investigators believe they lived a transient lifestyle to avoid creating a medical or governmental paper trail.
“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said about the case on July 1, per CBS News.
Wilson added that the children “looked like almost feral animals,” calling the situation “terrible.”
The Vinton County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case. The investigation into the allegations remains ongoing.
