Warnings about children discovered living in appalling conditions in an Ohio residence were flagged five years before authorities found them existing like “feral animals,” according to court documents.
Elizabeth Siders, 33, her husband Gary Siders, Jr. , 36, and his parents, Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 66 were taken into custody on multiple child endangerment charges earlier this month after 16 children from the same family were removed from a deteriorating home in rural Vinton County.
Officials had been executing a search warrant related to an investigation into alleged acts of public indecency by Gary Siders Jr. when they discovered the children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old, living in deplorable conditions surrounded by human waste while restricted to a single 12-by-12-foot room.
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Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson observed that law enforcement characterized the children as being “almost feral” due to severe neglect. “Some of these children couldn’t even speak,” Wilson said.
“This is terrible. They looked like almost feral animals. It was terrible. So when we’re talking reading, writing and education, we’re talking a whole other level of expectations here. It’s hard enough just to get these kids to be able to – the 18-year-old can’t spell her name.”…