'Almost wild': police rescue 16 children who lived confined in a room amid human waste, in the USA

Home where authorities rescued 16 children in Hamden, Ohio, on July 1, 2026
Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
Sixteen children from the same family, rescued from a run-down home in rural Ohio, had been living in deplorable conditions, surrounded by human waste and confined to just one room for most of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday (1st).
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Some of the children, rescued on Tuesday, were unable to speak and one of them - an 18-year-old girl with a developmental disability - couldn't even write her name, investigators said.
"Most of our livestock live in better conditions than the children," said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. "A simply disgusting scene."
The children's parents and two grandparents were arrested and charged with the crime of child endangerment, a prosecutor said.
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Authorities found the children while serving a search warrant related to another investigation, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Authorities said it appeared no one outside the family knew of the children, who were not enrolled in the school.
"We didn't know we would find 16 children there," said Wilson, who could barely find words to describe what authorities found in the small village of Hamden, situated in one of Ohio's poorest counties.
"It's the kind of thing we're not used to seeing here in the United States," he said.
Gary Siders Sr., Christine Siders, Elizabeth Siders and Gary Siders Jr., arrested in Ohio, USA, for holding 16 children in conditions precarious
Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail via AP
'Wild Animals'
The sheriff said it appears the children spent most of their time in a room measuring approximately 12 feet by 12 feet. He did not reveal how the children were kept inside the house, but said authorities did not find cages there.
The children ranged in age from one and a half to 18 years old, including boys and girls, authorities said. Seven were taken to hospitals in Columbus, with two airlifted by helicopter.
One was in critical condition Tuesday, while others were admitted for treatment, Wilson said.
"They looked almost like wild animals," Wilson said. "It was terrible."
The children were in the temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said the four adults were charged with second-degree felony child endangerment as the case involves "severe physical harm."
Home where authorities rescued 16 children in Hamden, Ohio, on July 1, 2026
Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf and set bail at $300,000 each. They have not yet appointed lawyers.
Steve Irwin, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, declined to say whether all the children were sisters or how related they were.
Neighbor saw 'no children'
The house where the children were found is on an isolated road, next to a high railroad embankment, where noisy trains pass through Hamden. The nearest neighboring homes are separated by trees and dense vegetation, but the residence is easily visible from the road.
An open door revealed debris inside, while a wooden deck and yard were strewn with discarded tires, a baby high chair and other debris.
Investigators reported that family members had moved around various locations in southern Ohio over the past two decades and apparently avoided creating medical or government records.
"These people were very good at hiding these children," Wilson said.
Home where authorities rescued 16 children in Hamden, Ohio, on July 1, 2026
Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
Investigators were checking to see if the family had been reported to child protective agencies in the past.
Neighbor Joseph Stewart, 60, said he hadn't seen "any children" since the family moved into a house three properties away, adding that he could clearly see the house and the yard as he passed by.
"It's a sad situation," he said. Stewart has lived on the street for six years and described it as a "quiet neighborhood."
On Wednesday, the home's doors and windows remained open due to the intense heat. A pile of discarded children's items - two broken bicycles, a plastic toy table, a beach bucket and two baby carriers - formed a pile in the backyard.
Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 and is about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.
The discovery of the children harkens back to earlier, shocking cases of family abuse.
In 2019, David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty of torture and years of abuse that included chaining some of their 13 children to their California home, depriving them of adequate food and offering only a minimal education.
They were sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
The couple were arrested in 2018 after their 17-year-old daughter ran away from home and called 911.

Source: G1