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Neighbor's disturbing comment about 16 'feral' kids inside Ohio 'house of horrors

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT The 16 children were discovered living in a small room in a house in Ohio by law enforcement officers carrying out a search warrant

[The house where the children were found]

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The house where the children were found(Image: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Neighbors living close to the 16 'feral' children allegedly kept inside a 12 by 12 foot room in an Ohio 'house of horrors' have made a disturbing admission about the youngsters.

The children were discovered on June 30 when law enforcement carried out a search warrant at the house in Hamden. Officers were said to be shocked by what they found when they entered the property.

Children aged between 18 months and 18 years were found in "appalling" conditions, it has been reported. Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson has said officers did not know children were living in the house.

He said the children weren't enrolled in school, and claimed the adults "were hiding these kids" because they knew the children were experiencing neglect and would be taken from their custody. It comes after the mom of the 16 'feral' kids made a disturbing request as she begged for her release.

Gary Siders Jr and his wife Elizabeth Siders have now been arrested and charged with second-degree felony child endangering. The children's grandparents, Gary Siders Sr and Christina Siders are facing the same charges.

[Elizabeth Siders]

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Elizabeth Siders is the mother of all 16 of the children(Image: Ohio Regional Jail)

It's alleged the youngsters had been living in one small room for at least the past four years. Investigators have discovered the eldest, an 18-year-old with developmental disabilities, was unable to even write her own name, while some of the other children were unable to speak.

The evidence in the case has been described as "beyond comprehension" by Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson

He said: "I think if they would have waited another 24 hours, that there was a very high probability that we'd be dealing with a death or multiple deaths of these children."

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain, who said the scene faced by officers was "disgusting", added: "Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children."

[Gary Siders Jr., 73]

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Gary Siders Jr., 73, was also arrested(Image: Vinton County Sheriffs Office)

It has now emerged that those living close to the family in the small town with less than 1,000 residents were unaware there were even children living at the property.

One local told WOWK 13 News: "My grandkids and my kids, we've all walked up and down that street, there's never been a sign of any child. As a mother and a grandmother, I just don't understand the logic."

Neighbor Joseph Stewart, 60, said he saw "no kids at all" since the family moved in three houses down and that he could clearly see the home and yard when passing by. "It's a sad situation," Stewart, who has lived on the street for six years and called it "a quiet neighborhood".

Attorney General Wilson has also alleged the Siders family also purportedly steered clear of creating medical or legal records to avoid establishing a paper trail.

[Christina Siders, 67]

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Christina Siders, 67, was among the four adults arrested (Image: Vinton County Sheriffs Office)

It also emerged last week that the older children had been "habitually truant" from school with authorities unable to track down their parents to serve legal documents.

The Gallia County Juvenile Court lodged six complaints against Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders in October 2021 for neglecting to ensure their children's school attendance, court documents show. The court simultaneously filed truancy complaints against the six children, who were aged between seven and 13 at that time. The children were expected to attend Addaville Elementary School in the Gallia County Local School District.

Wilson has alleged the children weren't enrolled in school, and claimed the adults "were hiding these kids" because they knew the children were experiencing neglect and would be taken from their custody.

Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer described this case as an "intra-family situation" and stressed it was not a human trafficking matter. He said the defendants were the "grandma, grandpa, father and mother".

[Gary Siders Jr., 36]

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The children were found while police were executing a warrant in relation to public indecency allegations against Gary Siders Jr.(Image: Vinton County Sheriffs Office)

The four accused - Gary Siders Sr. , 73; Christina Siders, 67; Gary Siders II, 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33 - are each facing 16 counts of endangering children, a second-degree felony, according to authorities.

They entered not guilty pleas during their arraignment and had their bail set at $300,000 each. They are expected to seek court-appointed legal representation, officials confirmed. The charges claim the four defendants mistreated the children, causing "serious physical harm."

Elizabeth Siders was just 15 when she married Gary Siders Jr. and had their first child two months later, investigators have said.

Elizabeth's attorney J. Thomas Stolly said that from jail, she had only "positive things to say about husband Gary", adding they desired a "big family."

[The area behind a home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults is seen in Hamden, Ohio, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. ]

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Court documents show that a juvenile court in another county attempted to locate the Siders over concerns for their children's schooling in 2021(Image: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

However, her brother, Jeremy Russell, alleged in a social media post that his sister was "indoctrinated" as a teenager.

He continued to state that the mother had "wrapped her life up due to indoctrination," alleging that extreme psychological control over her was "100 percent real."

Last week, Elizabeth Siders made a court application asking release from custody, according to documents examined by WCMH. The 33-year-old wants to be freed so she can be reunited with her children, the filing states.

Stolly, stated in the filing: "Through conversations with Counsel, the Defendant maintains that her principal desire [is] to reunite with her children. She understands that reunification of any sort is an impossibility if she does not appear before this Court.

"She did not ask when she was getting out of jail. She did not ask what a timeline was for her to get out of jail. She started asking about the kids." Meanwhile, the chilling word uttered by cops after they saw the Ohio 'house of horrors' and 16 'feral' kids was revealed.

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