VINTON COUNTY — Four adults are in custody after law enforcement found 16 children living in what was described as “deplorable conditions” in an Ohio home.
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The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a home in the Village of Hamden, according to Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson.
Law officials did say what the allegations were, but stated that 16 children were removed from the home and four adults were arrested, our news partner WBNS in Columbus reports.
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They identified the four suspects as Gary Siders Sr., Gary Siders Jr., Christina Siders, and Elizabeth Siders.
All four were booked on 17 felony counts of endangering children, interim Ohio AG Wilson said.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said that the suspects are not from Vinton County.
The children’s age ranges from 1.5 to 18 years old.
Wilson said in a social media post that the 16 children removed from the home are receiving medical care.
“This is pure evil,” he said during a news conference on Tuesday.
Wilson added that several of the children are in serious condition. Two were flown to hospitals.
He said that they were living in “deplorable conditions,” and that this was one of the worst environments he has seen in his career.
Governor Mike DeWine released a statement Tuesday night.
“Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson has kept me informed about the tragic situation in Vinton County. I have talked to Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain to offer any help that we might be able to provide. The Director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, Kara Wente, has been working today to assist Vinton County Children’s Services and will continue to help in the days ahead.
“It is heartbreaking to learn the conditions that these children were living in, and to learn of their medical conditions. Attorney General Wilson is an experienced prosecutor, and he has told me he has never seen anything like what he saw today. Fran and I pray for these children, and thank the children’s services workers, law enforcement officers, and medical personnel who are helping them.”
The four suspects are expected to be arraigned in court on Wednesday.
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