A judge in Vinton County, Ohio, found Gary Siders Sr., 73, mentally incompetent to stand trial on charges of endangering his 16 grandchildren, whose discovery in squalid conditions in a rural home prompted a rescue operation.
The Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer did not object to the evaluation report's findings, which the judge accepted on Wednesday. Siders appeared in court in a wheelchair, and his attorney, Dorian Baum, stated that his client's mental health has been deteriorating for years and is "not restorable."
"He doesn’t fully understand or appreciate what’s going on," Baum said after the hearing, adding that the finding of incompetence was not unexpected.
Siders was charged with 16 counts of child endangerment stemming from the June 30 rescue of the children from a home in Hamden, located approximately 80 miles south of Columbus. Authorities reported that the children, who ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years, were largely confined to a small room under deplorable conditions. Investigators also noted that the children were not enrolled in school.
Neighbors reported never seeing the children, and authorities stated the family had moved around frequently over the past two decades. At the time of their discovery, some of the children were described as “feral” and unable to speak, with varying medical conditions.
The eldest grandchild was born in May 2008, two months after Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders, the children's mother, married in West Virginia. Court records indicate Elizabeth Siders was 15 at the time of the marriage, and her parents provided consent. Records also suggest she has been pregnant nearly every year since then.
Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Siders' wife, Christina Siders, has also entered a not guilty plea.