HE WAS ACCUSED IN THE ‘HOUSE OF HORR0RS’ CASE — NOW HIS TRIAL COULD VANISH: BOMBSHELL COURT FINDING PUTS THE FATE OF THE 73-YEAR-OLD GRANDFATHER IN DOUBT
THE charges against the grandfather of the 16 children rescued from a house of horrors could be dropped following a shocking court finding.
The shocking development emerged on Wednesday after a court-ordered evaluation determined Gary Siders Sr., 73, is mentally incompetent to stand trial at the moment.
Gary Siders Sr. pictured during his competency hearing at the Vinton County Courthouse on WednesdayCredit: Law & Crime Network
Police tape surrounds the Siders family home in Hamden, Ohio, where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adultsCredit: AP
Siders Sr. was one of four relatives arrested on June 30 after authorities discovered his 16 grandchildren living in deplorable conditions at their home in rural Hamden, Ohio.
However, the grandfather was released from jail about a week after his arrest after suffering a severe medical emergency and fall while behind bars.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer asked the court to release Siders Sr. on a personal recognizance bond due to his severe medical condition, which he said could bankrupt the county.
Dorian Baum, Siders Sr.’s defense attorney, raised serious concerns regarding the 73-year-old’s cognitive decline, mental health, and confusion, and requested the court to conduct a mental competency evaluation.
The findings revealed that Siders Sr. was not competent to stand trial, noting that his mental health is “not restorable.”
Baum told reporters after the hearing that he and Vinton County prosecutors are expected to hash out the next steps in the case, but added he expects the charges against Siders Sr. to be dropped.
“I’ve made multiple statements throughout, and I’ve expressed significant concern about Mr. Siders mental health throughout,” Baum said.
“I exhibited specific concerns about whether he was competent. I think everybody had the same reaction when they saw his initial appearance.
“You had a person who was confused. A person who didn’t appear to be understanding what’s going on. He had hearing issues. As has also been widely reported, he has also had significant health issues. Those are continuing.
“As anyone who was here saw, he is not a person who is well.”
Video footage showed Siders Sr. smiling and nodding to a news camera as he was being wheeled into a Vinton County courtroom ahead of his competency hearing.
Baum said the findings were not surprising to him, in fact, they were expected.
“The findings specifically of not being restorable means that it’s not anticipated within any reasonable certainty from any medical doctor that he will be able to be restored and as such, the prosecution against him is very likely coming to a very quick end,” he added.
Police said the 16 children were found living in deplorable conditions and packed into a 12-by-12-foot roomCredit: AP
Gary Siders Sr. mugshot following his arrest on June 30Credit: Vinton County Sheriff’s Office
Baum said there are several options on the table for prosecutors to either file a motion for dismissal, a request to the probate court that Siders Sr. be evaluated for civil commitment, or seek other means for help.
Meanwhile, the case against Siders Sr.’s wife, Christina, 67, his son, Gary Jr., and his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, continues to play out in court.
All four defendants are facing 16 counts each of felony child endangerment.
Gary Jr., 36, and Elizabeth, 33, were indicted in late August on new charges related to a separate child sex abuse case involving a minor who authorities said was not a member of their immediate family.
Authorities began investigating the couple after opening a probe in December 2025 into the alleged sexual abuse of two minors, which resulted in the arrests of Josh Saunders, 23, and Brandon Henderson Sr., 40.
Saunders was indicted on three counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition, while Henderson was indicted on 21 charges, including endangering children, gross sexual imposition, and sexual battery.
Evidence obtained through the initial investigation led authorities to open a second probe in March into a separate sexual misconduct case of another child.
That inquiry eventually led investigators to Gary Jr. and Elizabeth.
Both have now been indicted on two counts of sexual battery and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Authorities allege the conduct occurred over roughly eight months between January and September 2022, involving a minor who was more than 10 years younger than the couple.
The alleged victim is not a member of Gary Jr. and Elizabeth’s immediate family, Vinton County Attorney General Andy Wilson said.
It has since emerged that Henderson Sr. is in a relationship with one of Gary Jr.’s older sisters, Virginia Saunders.
Meanwhile, Saunders is the son of Virginia and a cousin of Gary Jr. and Elizabeth’s 16 children.
Virginia married Joshua Saunders, 42, in April 2003, according to marriage records obtained by NBC affiliate WCMH.
The elder Saunders is currently in prison serving a 15-years-to-life murder sentence since 2009.
It is believed the elder Saunders is the father of the man charged with three counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition.
A short time after Saunders began his sentence in 2009, Virginia began a relationship with Henderson Sr.
Virginia has another 15-year-old daughter, who is living with her other sister and her husband.
It’s unknown if the teenage girl is the biological daughter of Henderson Sr. or the elder Saunders.
Meanwhile, Gary Jr. is also facing multiple counts of public indecency from a separate case.
The harrowing discovery at the Siders residence emerged on June 30 after authorities executed a warrant related to a separate case at the home.
There, Vinton County Sheriff’s deputies discovered Siders Jr. and Elizabeth’s 16 children packed into a room roughly 12-feet-by-12-feet.
The children ranged in age from about 18 months to 18 years old, authorities said.
Sheriff officials described the horrific conditions of the room as being contaminated with human waste and that several of the children required hospital treatment after being removed.
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said the children appeared to be almost like “feral animals,” some unable to speak, adding, “Our livestock was kept in better conditions.”
“It was just a disgusting scene,” he said.
Andy Wilson, the Ohio attorney general, called the scene “pure evil.”
“It really looked third world. It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America,” he said.
“[It’s] almost indescribable.”
Gary Jr., Elizabeth, and Christina are being held on $300,000 bonds.
SOURCE: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16978053/gary-siders-sr-feral-kids-house-horrors-hamden/