Ohio grandfather declared mentally incompetent in child endangerment case involving 16 grandchildren

A southern Ohio grandfather whose 16 grandchildren were found living in squalid conditions was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial on Wednesday — but the case is still set to continue against other members of his family.

Gary Siders Sr., 73, appeared in a Vinton County courtroom in a wheelchair and a gray T-shirt, facing 16 counts of child endangerment. The charges stem from a June 30 raid on a rural property in Hamden, Ohio, where authorities discovered 16 children ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years living in a small, 12-by-12-foot room amid severe squalor and human waste.

When police breached the home, Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described it as a “disgusting scene.” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson later stated that the isolated youths looked “almost like feral animals” and that several “couldn’t even speak.”

Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer raised no objections to the competency findings.

Discussing the ruling, defense attorney Dorian Baum told The Independent that prosecutors and the defense agreed on the evaluation findings at a September 9 hearing, which classified his client as not only incompetent but permanently unrestorable.

Noting that Siders had experienced a prolonged cognitive decline, Baum stated, “It’s not really a surprise to any of us that he’s not been found competent at this point. He doesn’t fully understand or appreciate what’s going on.”

Following the ruling, the judge kept Siders’ bond active as the state decides whether to drop the charges immediately or pursue a civil commitment through probate court. Baum told The Independent that regardless of which path prosecutors choose, all charges against Siders Sr. are expected to be dismissed soon.

Regarding future care, Baum said that while institutional placement remains a possibility, his team is trying to arrange a private guardianship to keep Siders in his current setting where he is already receiving proper medical care, though the probate court will make the final decision.

Legal proceedings against the three other co-defendants remain active. Siders’ wife Christina Siders, 68, his son Gary Siders Jr., 36, and his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Siders, 33 — who court records show is the mother of all 16 children — have each pleaded not guilty to 19 counts of child endangerment.

Before the competency ruling, Baum defended the patriarch by claiming the house was fully functional with working utilities and food, telling reporters that critics should “step back” from what he argued was a state agency “criminalizing poverty.”

Court documents indicate that Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders married in West Virginia in March 2008, when he was 18 and she was 15, with her parents’ consent. Their eldest child was born two months later in May 2008, and filings show Elizabeth Siders was pregnant during most of the years that followed.

Records show that the discovery came despite child protective services investigating the family years earlier. Gallia County Children’s Services opened an inquiry in March 2020 after online educators raised alarms over severe educational neglect, noting that an 11-year-old child could not write the alphabet or pronounce letter sounds and could only count to 12, while a 13-year-old sibling had dropped out of school.

By December 2020, a physician warned officials of severe developmental delays linked to potential lead poisoning, and a later home visit by a caseworker found roaches, gnats and flies swarming the residence along with two children showing insect bites and bruising. Despite this, the agency permitted the parents to retain physical custody under protective supervision before closing the file five months later.

The initial search warrant that led deputies to discover the captive children was executed as part of a separate sex crimes investigation. Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders also face separate counts of sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor involving individuals outside their immediate family.

All 16 rescued children were initially hospitalized for medical evaluation before being transitioned into state protective custody.

Officials previously noted that the victims lacked formal schooling, medical histories or government documentation as the family moved through various Ohio counties over two decades, with surrounding neighbors reporting that they had never once seen the kids outdoors.