Elizabeth Siders, the mother of 16 children recently rescued from a feces-filled home in Ohio, was previously charged with truancy after six of her children failed to attend school. Court documents revealed that Elizabeth Siders and her husband, Gary Siders Jr., were charged in October 2021 for not sending six of their children, then between the ages of 7 and 13, to Addaville Elementary School in Gallipolis.
The children were deemed habitually truant due to missing school for the entire 2021-22 academic year up to the time of the charges. They had accumulated approximately 72 missed school hours when the charges were filed on Oct. 19, 2021. In Ohio, a child is considered habitually truant if they miss at least 42 school hours in a single month.
The case was dismissed in January 2022. According to filings, the judge stated that the Siders family was "unable to be served" as their location was "unknown to the court."
Authorities discovered the children living in a severely neglected home in Hamden, Ohio, while executing a warrant for an unrelated case. Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described the conditions as "almost feral" and resembling a "third-world" environment, noting that investigators wore masks upon entering the trash-stacked residence. The oldest child found in the home, born shortly after Elizabeth and Gary Jr. were married, is 18. Investigators reported that none of the children were enrolled in school, and some exhibited developmental delays, with one being unable to write their name.
Elizabeth and Gary Siders Jr., along with Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 67, were arrested and charged with child endangerment. All four have pleaded not guilty. Gary Siders Sr. is currently undergoing a competency evaluation to determine his fitness to stand trial. He was released on bail due to a serious medical condition requiring out-of-state hospital care, which the prosecutor noted could potentially bankrupt the county if the jail had to cover the medical expenses.