Four Siders Family Members Indicted as Ohio Child Endangerment Case Moves Forward
The discovery of 16 children living in “deplorable conditions” has led to the indictment of four members of the Siders family in Vinton County, Ohio.
Gary Siders Sr., 68-year-old Christina Siders, 36-year-old Gary Siders Jr. and 33-year-old Elizabeth Siders are all charged in the indictments announced Friday.
Gary Sr. is charged with 10 counts of endangering children, a third-degree felony, and six counts of first-degree misdemeanour, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Christina, Gary Jr. and Elizabeth were each charged with 19 counts of child endangerment, which included second and third degree felonies and first degree misdemeanours.
Gary Jr. and Elizabeth are also charged with separate sex offences against a child.
The case started on June 30 when police conducting an unrelated search warrant at the family’s Hamden home reportedly discovered 16 children, from 18 months to 18 years old, living in conditions that were “unsafe and unacceptable.
The case also demonstrates the need to recognise children who may be in situations that compromise their safety and wellbeing, from a child protection perspective.
The situation was thought to have been confined to the family before. The four adults are the children’s grandmother, grandfather, mother and father.
All four requested competency evaluations which were ordered after their arrest.
Investigations continue, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is cooperating with the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office, said Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson.
The indictments are not evidence of guilt. The accused will be given a chance to defend themselves in court, and the police are still investigating the conditions in which the children lived.
