The children, who ranged in age from 1.5 to 18, were found in “deplorable” conditions in Hamden, Ohio, and were in urgent need of medical treatment, with two flown to trauma centres, officials said
A house of “pure evil” has been uncovered in the US state of Ohio with 16 children discovered living in conditions “you cannot even imagine”, officials said.
Now four adults detained on felony child endangerment charges have been pictured after police finding all 16 children in desperate need of medical care Tuesday (June 30).
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff’s department raided a home in the small village of Hamden, where they discovered the youngsters in what officials described as “deplorable” conditions. Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said at a press conference that the children were living in “conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in,”.
The four suspects Gary Siders Sr., 73; Christina Siders, 67; Gary Siders II, 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33, have each been charged with 16 counts of endangering children, a second-degree felony, according to officials.
They pleaded not guilty during their arraignment Wednesday morning and their bond was set at $300,000 each. The suspects are described as being the “grandma, grandpa, father, and mother”.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said during a press briefing Wednesday that this is not a case of human trafficking, but an “intra-family situation”, reports ABC.
Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said they were being charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.” The children ranged from ages 1.5 to 18 and included both boys and girls, officials said.
Several were in serious conditions when found, and two had to be flown to level one trauma centres because of their injuries.
Wilson described it as the most horrific scene he had witnessed throughout his entire career, characterising what he observed as “pure evil.”
Police were also carrying out a second search warrant at the property on Tuesday, with the investigation continuing. “Justice will be served for these children,” Wilson stated.
Wilson said the investigation has been ongoing for some time, leading to the search warrant being executed on Tuesday. The family had lived in Vinton County for the past four years and were “clearly bouncing around,” according to Wilson.
“They were pretty adept at keeping these kids out of sight and out of investigative eyes,” he said.
The children were not in school and the eldest child is included among the charges because the 18-year-old is believed to developmentally still be a minor, officials said.
“Some of these children couldn’t even speak,” Wilson said. “It was terrible.” Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said the house contained human faeces and that the children were largely confined to a small area.
“Most of our livestock is kept in better condition than the children,” Cain said during Wednesday’s briefing.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said: “It is heartbreaking to learn the conditions that these children were living in, and to learn of their medical conditions.”
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