Four adults were arrested on felony child endangerment charges after authorities discovered 16 children in deplorable conditions requiring medical attention in a rural southern Ohio home on Tuesday. Officials described the scene as the worst they had ever encountered.
Authorities from the Ohio Bureau of Investigation and the local sheriff's department searched a residence in the village of Hamden, which has a population of less than 1,000 people and is located about 60 miles southeast of Columbus. Upon entering the home, they found the children, ranging in age from 1.5 to 18 years old, in what officials termed "deplorable" circumstances.
"Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in," Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson stated at a news conference. Several of the children were found in serious condition, with two requiring transport via helicopter to level one trauma centers due to their injuries.
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders, and Elizabeth Siders were arrested. They have not yet been arraigned or assigned legal representation. Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer indicated that they are being charged with second-degree felony child endangering, a charge that involves "serious physical harm."
Officials have not confirmed if the children are related but stated that the situation did not involve human trafficking. The adults arrested were reportedly not locals and appeared to have been traveling. The investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement executed a secondary search warrant at the home on Tuesday. The four adults are scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning. "Justice will be served for these children," Wilson added.