Newly released court records reveal a series of missed opportunities and escalating concerns over several years prior to the June rescue of 16 children from a squalid home in Hamden, Ohio. Investigations into parents Elizabeth and Gary Siders Jr. by Gallia County children's services began as early as January 2020, stemming from fears about the children's health, educational neglect, and potential abuse.
One of the earliest probes in January 2020 focused on a seven-year-old child's significant developmental delays while enrolled in a digital home-school program. A caseworker noted the child's inability to speak in complete sentences or initiate conversation and the lack of pediatrician visits for developmental concerns. Another child, aged 13, had not completed any schoolwork from the online academy before being officially withdrawn. School officials also raised concerns about three other Siders children, aged 12, 11, and 9, whose academic performance was below grade level. The 11-year-old was assessed as a non-reader, knowing only 14 letters of the alphabet, no letter sounds, and struggling with basic counting.
The parents were also investigated in December 2020 after four of their children were diagnosed with high levels of lead in their systems and the parents failed to take them for required follow-up medical appointments. A caseworker's affidavit described gaining access to the home and finding it infested with insects. The caseworker noted concerns about the children's odor and one child's poor dental condition. A four-year-old child could not speak clearly and was recommended for speech evaluation. The caseworker also reported observing bruising on one child's thigh and noted that the parents and children lacked consistent hygiene.
Despite these concerns, a neglect and dependency complaint filed in January 2021 led to a judge ordering protective supervision of the children, allowing them to remain with their parents as long as case plans were completed. While the parents reportedly made progress on their case plans and completed parenting classes, other evaluations were stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The cases were eventually closed and protective supervision terminated by June 2021.
However, the family reappeared in court by October 2021 when six of the children were labeled habitual truants for missing school. A school attendance official filed complaints stating the children had been absent without legitimate excuse for the entire academic year. Months later, the case was closed by the same judge after the family could not be located, having left the state.
The revelations emerged as Elizabeth, 34, and Gary Jr., 36, were indicted on felony sex charges, along with Brandon Henderson, 40, and Josh Saunders III, 23. The indictments allege the Siders couple engaged in sexual conduct with a child more than a decade younger than them and not a member of their immediate family between January and September 2022. They also face child endangerment charges for allegedly allowing their own children to suffer serious physical harm. Gary Jr. has pleaded not guilty to the indicted charges, while Elizabeth has yet to be arraigned on the new indictments but pleaded not guilty to initial endangerment charges.
Children's services initially became aware of the family's situation when authorities were investigating alleged family child sex abuse and sought Gary Jr.'s DNA. During this investigation, officers discovered the 16 children living in the allegedly deplorable conditions in their Hamden home, leading to the arrest of the adults and the children's placement in state foster care. The children's paternal grandparents, Christina Siders, 67, and Gary Siders Sr., 73, have also been indicted on child endangerment charges. Christina Siders has pleaded not guilty and is being held on a $300,000 bond, while Gary Sr. has yet to be arraigned.
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