Four adults arrested after 16 children found in Hamden home
Four adults were charged after deputies found 16 children in a Hamden home, including some in serious condition and two flown to trauma centers.
Four adults were arraigned at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Vinton County Court of Common Pleas after a search warrant at a Hamden home uncovered 16 children living in severe distress. The children ranged in age from about 18 months to 18 years, and some remained hospitalized in serious condition after being moved to higher-level care.
The warrant was executed at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 30, at 182 Ohmer St. in the village of Hamden. The adults were Gary Siders Sr., Gary Siders Jr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders. Each was charged with 16 counts of endangering children, a second-degree felony, and each was being held on $300,000 bond, the Ohio Attorney General’s office said on July 1.
The children were first taken to local hospitals for treatment and evaluation, then some were transferred to higher-level medical facilities. Two of the children were flown by helicopter to level one trauma centers. Some were treated and released while others remained hospitalized. The attorney general’s office said the case involved prolonged and extreme interfamilial neglect and abuse. Investigators found no evidence of any threat to the public.
The investigation is being handled by the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Hamden Fire Department, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, South Central Ohio Job and Family Services and the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. The children were placed into temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, and the case was not being treated as human trafficking.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said the group was not from Vinton County and had been traveling. The family had lived in multiple Ohio counties since 2008 and had largely avoided establishing medical and other government records during that time. Governor Mike DeWine said Kara Wente was working to assist Vinton County Children’s Services and would continue helping in the days ahead.
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