GALLIPOLIS, Ohio () — After nearly two months, the attorneys representing the adults in a Vinton County child abuse case received the state’s evidence against the Siders.
Vinton County received national attention after investigators . Gary Siders, 73, Christina Siders, 68, Gary Siders II, 37, and Elizabeth Siders, 34, were arrested and charged on 16 counts of child endangerment each. On Aug. 21,
Also on Aug. 21, Elizabeth and Gary Siders II were indicted on child sex abuse charges, as were two new men: . Both men were known to the family through Gary II’s sister, Virginia. Josh Saunders is Virginia’s son — cousin to the 16 rescued Siders children — and Henderson is Virginia’s longtime partner.
The indictments revealed an entangled web of alleged abuse. NBC4 used public records to construct a for over 20 years.
2003
Virginia Siders married Joshua Saunders II in April 2003. She gave birth to Josh Saunders III in June, the same Josh who was charged with sexual abuse 23 years later. According to his birth certificate, Josh Saunders III was born in Gallia County at an unknown location.
2008
Marriage records show Elizabeth Siders — then 15 years old — married 18-year-old Gary Siders II in March 2008 in Mason County, West Virginia. In May, Elizabeth gave birth to her first child in a Gallia County hospital. Records showed the Siders were living in Gallipolis.
2009-2010
Elizabeth and Gary Siders II had their second child. They’d moved to a rural Gallia County home about 15 miles north of Gallipolis by the time of their second child’s birth, per birth records.
Virginia Saunders gave birth to a child who is , according to a court-ordered DNA test. In 2009, Joshua Saunders II — meaning Virginia’s husband, not her son — was found guilty of murder and sent to prison. Court records showed Virginia Saunders and Henderson were living together in Gallipolis in 2010.
2011-2014
Elizabeth and Gary Siders II had four more children, per birth records. They continued to live in the rural Gallia County home.
Virginia Saunders and Henderson were evicted from a rural Gallia County home in 2011. The home was about a 15-minute drive from the Siders’ residence.
2015-2019
Elizabeth and Gary Siders II had three more children, both in a Gallia County hospital. A January 2017 citation for driving without a booster seat placed Gary II in a new Gallipolis address.
When Elizabeth Siders gave birth to her eighth child in October 2017, the Siders listed a different Gallia County address. By October 2019 — the birth of her ninth child — the Siders were living in Gallipolis. In late 2019, the Siders children were enrolled in Ohio Virtual Academy.
During this time, Virginia Saunders and Henderson were believed to be living in Bloomer, Wisconsin.
2020
In January 2020, Gallia County Jobs and Family Services after the children failed to regularly keep up with their Ohio Virtual Academy classes. JFS workers identified developmental and medical concerns with the children.
In March, Gallia County Juvenile Court decided to to ensure the children were receiving regular healthcare and schooling. In July, Judge Thomas Moulton noted that the family had secured appropriate housing and the Siders were completing parenting courses.
In September, Elizabeth gave birth to her 10th child. The JFS case was closed in October due to the family’s progress, which included enrolling the kids in Gallia County schools. In December, JFS began investigating again after doctors reported the family was no longer keeping up with medical appointments.
Between 2020 to November 2025, Henderson and Josh Saunders III were accused of committing sexual abuse against two minors younger than 13 years old. The alleged abuse wasn’t made public until August 2026.
2021
In January, a second case against the Siders was opened in Gallia County Juvenile Court, and the parents were once again placed on a court supervised improvement plan, allowing the children to stay in the home. Despite concerns from doctors that the family would stop adhering to the plan if the case was closed, Moulton closed the case in May.
Between May 24 and Oct. 19, 2021, Moulton said the Siders family left Gallia County and the state. In October, Gallia County into the family because none of the children had attended school.
2022
In January, Gallia County closed the truancy investigation because the Siders cannot be located. In February, Elizabeth Siders gave birth to twins in Gallia County but listed a home in Bloomer, Wisconsin, as the address on birth records.
Between January and September 2022, Gary II and Elizabeth Siders allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with a minor. According to court records for Gary II, the minor was allegedly between the ages of 13 and 16. The Siders were not charged until four years later, and it is known the victim was not among the 16 Siders children.
In November 2022, Elizabeth Siders gave birth to conjoined twins at 24 weeks old at a Columbus hospital. The twins died of natural causes at the hospital. Birth and death records listed an address of Cheshire, Ohio, for the Siders.
2023-2025
Elizabeth Siders gave birth to twins in a Gallia County hospital in January 2024, and the Siders were living at the Cheshire address. Elizabeth Siders gave birth to her 15th and 16th living children in January 2025. The family had moved to Vinton County.
Josh Saunders III and Brandon Henderson were known to be back in Ohio, although the year they moved back is unconfirmed.
In December 2025, the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Special Victims Unit opened an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving two children. At the time, BCI was investigating Josh Saunders and Henderson.
2026 — before June 30
In March, the investigation into Henderson and Josh Saunders led BCI to open a second investigation into the Siders. In April, Henderson remarried, court records show. He was known to be living with his new wife, Josh Saunders III and a second child who isn’t believed to be a victim in the sexual abuse case.
In late May, Gary Siders II was at his home to victims who are not related to him. At the time of the alleged indecent exposure, the Siders were living in the house on Ohmer Street in Hamden that police will raid.
2026 — after June 30
On June 30, officers served a search warrant at the Ohmer Street home to try to get Gary Siders II’s DNA for the child sexual abuse investigation. Authorities said they were shocked to find the 16 children living in the home in unsafe conditions. Seven of the children were hospitalized, with two flown to Columbus for care. Gary, Christina, Gary II and Elizabeth Siders were arrested and charged with 16 counts of child endangerment each.
On July 1, the four Siders adults were arraigned and held on bonds of $300,000 each. On July 8, Gary Siders I with a “serious” medical condition. All four Siders requested by Aug. 4, the results of which are pending.
On Aug. 21, Attorney General Andy Wilson and Vinton County officials announced all four Siders adults had been indicted on child endangerment charges, 16 counts for Gary Siders I and 19 counts each for the other three Siders. Elizabeth and Gary Siders II were also indicted on two counts of sexual battery and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor each.
Also on Aug. 21, Josh Saunders III and Henderson were arrested and indicted on child sex abuse charges. Josh Saunders was indicted on three counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition. Henderson was indicted on 21 charges, including endangering children, gross sexual imposition and sexual battery.
Elizabeth Siders awaits an arraignment. Josh Saunders, Henderson and Gary Siders II were arraigned last week.
All adults charged in the case except Gary Siders I are being held in jail. The children are all in the custody of the state or other family members.
Disclaimer: This story is fictional and created for entertainment purposes only.
Any names, characters, places, or events are fictitious or used fictitiously.
No real person or organization is intended to be portrayed.