The mother of 16 pleaded not guilty Wednesday as her attorney raised competency concerns to reporters and continued exploring whether Siders herself may be a victim

Elizabeth Siders in a Vinton County Courtroom (Left) and in Southeast Ohio Regional Jail (Right)

Elizabeth Siders was arraigned Wednesday on charges in both the 𝘴єxual-𝘢bu𝘴e and child-endangerment cases connected to the expansive investigation surrounding her family in rural Ohio.

Siders shuffled into the courtroom with her attorney, in an orange jumpsuit, uncuffed and appearing to be unshackled.

Siders pleaded not guilty. She already has a $300,000 bond in the child-endangerment case, and the judge kept an additional $250,000 cash bond in place for the 𝘴єxual-𝘢bu𝘴e case, bringing her total bonds to $550,000.

Her attorney, Thomas “Tommy” Stolly, argued that the existing bond should be sufficient for both cases, telling the court that Siders is highly unlikely to be able to post the additional $250,000. He maintained that she is not a flight risk and has every reason to return to court.

Elizabeth Siders

Prosecutor William Archer opposed reducing the bond, stressing the seriousness of the 𝘴єxual-𝘢bu𝘴e allegations. The judge ultimately kept the $250,000 cash bond in place.

Siders appeared somber during the hearing and hung her head as the judge instructed her to have no contact with the alleged victims or her husband, Gary Siders Jr. Stolly told the media that his client misses her children, while the state maintained that having no contact with Siders is currently in the children’s best interests.

“Elizabeth’s concern continues for her children. She asks about them. She asks about them by name. She has specific concerns regarding each child. She’s got concerns for her kids. She wants to… for example, there’s children who have birthdays coming up. She wants to get messages to her kids,” Stolly said.

Siders and Gary Jr. are facing 𝘴єxual-𝘢bu𝘴e charges in a case separate from the child-endangerment prosecution stemming from the June 30 discovery of their 16 children allegedly living in deplorable conditions inside the family’s Hamden home. The couple has pleaded not guilty.

There has also been considerable online speculation that Elizabeth is pregnant again. There has been no official confirmation from her attorney or family, despite attempts to verify the claim. A Facebook commenter claiming to temporarily foster one of the children has alleged that a child told her Elizabeth was pregnant, but that remains secondhand and unverified.

Lots of talk and speculation about Elizabeth Siders currently being pregnant. As far as I know, there have been no official statements from her attorney or family members confirming this- I’ve tried to seek confirmation. I did see a Facebook comment from an alleged temporary foster mom of one of the 16 children, who claimed that one of the children told her Elizabeth was pregnant… but that’s as far as I know. Here is Elizabeth today vs. June 30:

— Lauren Conlin (@conlin_lauren) September 16, 2026

Stolly has previously raised concerns about what years of pregnancies and limited medical care may have done to his client, speaking to media after the arraignment. He told multiple media outlets:

“We have an individual in Elizabeth who was married at age 15, who has essentially been pregnant for the better part of two decades,” Stolly said. “Who has never fully gone through any post-partum period, who has not been receiving regular medical care that would be appropriate for someone who has had 16, 18 children. I have concerns about what effects those have had on her, what effect it has had on her being married at such a young age, being contained within the environment of the Siders household.”

As an aside, the term “postpartum” has seemingly come up frequently in Los Angeles’ recent coverage of the Lindsay Clancy case and other tragic alleged “copycat” filicide cases, particularly as it relates to women’s mєntal health.

Stolly also reiterated that he has concerns about Siders’ competency, though he acknowledged that they have not yet received a decision. He also confirmed that he is still exploring whether Elizabeth herself may be a victim, explaining that while she does not see herself that way, adding, “It doesn’t necessarily mean that there are not layers to be peeled back from this, especially as she spends time outside of the home, outside of the purview of this family that she has been with, contained with, for the better part of two decades.”

Meanwhile, the case against the older generation of the family has taken a different turn. Gary Siders Sr., 73, was recently ruled incompetent to stand trial, with an evaluation finding that he could not understand the proceedings or assist in his defense. His ruling applies only to his case and does not affect the prosecutions of Elizabeth, Gary Jr. or Christina Siders. Siders Jr. was arraigned in August on both indictments and has pleaded not guilty. Christina Siders is due in court Sept. 21 for a bail hearing.

Stolly left the media with this:

“I think it’s important to remember, I’ve said this from the beginning ,Elizabeth is innocent until proven guilty…. The state has not proven anything beyond a reasonable doubt.”