CASE UPDATE: OHIO’S ‘HOUSE OF HORR0RS’ WAS INFESTED WITH ROACHES — A FIRST RESPONDER REVEALS ONE THING THAT STILL HA-UNTS THEM, AND WHAT WAS INSIDE THE HOME COULD ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS H0RRIFIC FOR THE 16 CHI-LDREN – News

CASE UPDATE: OHIO’S ‘HOUSE OF HORR0RS’ WAS INFESTED WITH ROACHES — A FIRST RESPONDER REVEALS ONE THING THAT STILL HA-UNTS THEM, AND WHAT WAS INSIDE THE HOME COULD ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS H0RRIFIC FOR THE 16 CHI-LDREN

The Siders family “house of horrors” in Ohio has taken a number of turns as ongoing investigations continue to reveal more about the family.

The arrest of the Siders family and the discovery of the “house of horrors” that contained 16 children went viral nationally (Image: Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail)

The arrest of the Siders family and the discovery of the “house of horrors” that contained 16 children went viral nationally – but the strangest circumstances surrounding the family are still being uncovered.

Sixteen  from 20 months to 18 years were removed from a home in Hamden, Ohio, on June 30, 2026. All four adults—Gary Siders Jr., 36; Gary Siders, 73; Elizabeth Siders, 34; and Christina Siders, 67—were taken into custody on child  and entered not guilty pleas. Bail was set at $300,000 for each defendant.

Then, stories began to surface about  when she was married into the family (15, with the father of the children 18-years-old), had 16 children in the years that followed, none of the children seemingly went to school, the home was described as feces-covered, and the elderly grandparents may not fully understand the situation.

Despite a gag order imposed by a judge in the case, plenty of public information has been found and confirmed about the family. Here’s a roundup of news surrounding the Siders family “house of horrors” case to keep an eye on as the investigation continues.

Children in ‘deplorable’ conditions

Authorities claim that the family’s Hamden home was found in deplorable conditions. The 16 children were allegedly kept for years in a 12-by-12-foot room and were not enrolled in school.

While the grandparents reportedly received state assistance, the county prosecutor said the children had no school or medical records. Police who investigated the case said the 16 kids were “kept in worse conditions than livestock.”

The sheriff didn’t disclose how the kids were kept inside the home, but said authorities didn’t find any cages in the house.

Elizabeth Siders, the mother of the children (Image: Police)

Teenage marriages in the family

Ohio birth and  indicate that at least three members of the extended Siders family got married as young teenagers, including the mother-of-16 arrested last month on multiple child endangerment charges.

Fresh information uncovered by  indicates that at least three extended Siders family members were married as young teenagers, including the marriage of pregnant 14-year-old Tessi Wright to her 48-year-old boyfriend, Richard E. Siders, in 2002. Richard, who is now deceased, was a cousin of Gary Siders Sr., Tessi told The New York Times.

The other teen marriages include the marriage of 15-year-old Elizabeth Russell to Gary Siders Jr. in 2008. Estimates suggest he would have been between the ages of 17 and 18 at the time, though his exact age remains unclear.

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Gary Siders Jr was charged with four counts of public indecency a month before the raid on his home(Image: Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail)

Officials approved $1 million in care funds to support the rescued children

officials will provide $1 million in state emergency funds to Vinton County to provide treatment and care to the 16 children found living in squalor. All of the children have been put in foster care and are slated to receive extensive treatment for physical and mental abuse, state officials confirmed.

“The kids are safe. They’re being cared for. They’re receiving treatments,” said Joel Potts of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. “We expect there will be a lot more services these children will need to address the traumas they’ve received. And some of these things they’ll probably be dealing with for life.”

(Image: Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail)

Elizabeth gave birth to four sets of twins, including conjoined twins

Elizabeth Siders, mom of 16 in the Ohio “house of horrors” case, had four sets of twins in the span of three years, between February 2022 and January 2025.

In February 2022 she gave birth to her first set of twins, two of the 16 rescued children. Later that year in November, she gave birth to two conjoined twin girls who died shortly after. Another set of twins was born in January 2024, part of the surviving rescued children and in January 2025, before her birth, she gave birth to her fourth set of twins.

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Christina Siders, 67, was among the four adults arrested (Image: Vinton County Sheriff’s Office)

Mentally unwell grandpa

New reports about the family patriarch suggest he suffers from health issues that could have contributed to the deteriorating living conditions.

The judge has ordered both a competency evaluation and an insanity evaluation for Gary Siders Sr. At first, he was only expected to be evaluated to determine whether he could enter a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity plea. But his attorney says the 73-year-old doesn’t seem to understand the charges or the case being made against him.

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The Hamden, Ohio home where the Siders family was arrested(Image: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

House riddled with cockroaches

A can of insect killer can be seen through an open window. According to one first responder, insects were a huge problem at the residence.

“You can see the cockroaches and stuff like that, bugs in general,” they said. “Bugs get on the children and scratch and bite, so their condition wasn’t the greatest. As far as the smell, it’s just a certain type of smell. It’s not very pleasant.”

“Typically, I wear a mask if I endure those kind of conditions, just a face mask, to kind of help cover that up because it’s awful. It sticks with you. It sticks on your clothes and you can smell it for hours afterwards until you can go and change.”

The woman would have been 21 at the time. Authorities found the children while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said at a news conference. Officials said it seemed as if no one outside the family knew about the children, who weren’t enrolled in school.