Firefighter who drove 16 ‘feral' children to hospital shares haunting thing that’s stayed with him
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
After the news of 16 children living in horrifically inhumane conditions came out of Ohio last week, the firefighter who found them has spoken out on what shocked him the most.
Emergency services were left in disbelief after discovering the children living in a tiny 12 feet by 12 feet room, covered in human faeces, where they have seemingly spent much of the past four years.
Some of the children were unable to talk and they were quickly transported to hospital, while the children's parents and two grandparents, Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders have also since been charged with felony child endangerment.
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Although officials had alluded to the awful conditions inside the house, with Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson suggesting they 'looked like almost feral animals', a firefighter on the scene has now explained more about what they found.
Describing the home to Criminally Obsessed, Captain Jeremiah Griffith said: “You can see the cockroaches and stuff like that, bugs in general. 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 to kind of helps 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. Our livestock around here live in better conditions.”
Griffith was one of the first five people at the scene and he took it upon himself to quickly take the children to hospital, since they 'were clearly not in the greatest shape'.
However, the most 'haunting' memory for the Hamden Fire Department captain wasn't there physical condition, but simply how quiet they were as he rushed them to get medical care.
He added: “It was just quiet. That’s what it was. Blank expressions. Of course they were scared. They’ve never endured anything like that before.
“They didn’t know where they were going. They didn’t speak to me. I tried to have limited contact unless I was asked to help with the children.”
Officials also suggested that this is 'the type of thing that we're not used to seeing here in America' but there have been tragically similar cases in recent years, with children kept in a 'house of horrors'.
Griffith concluded: “This one just caught us by surprise really, because we didn’t really expect [it]. This house didn’t even look like anyone was living in it. It was a situation we’re not used to dealing with.”
The children, who ranged between 18 months and 18 years, weren't even known to the county due to their lack of documentation and time in education.
All four of the charged guardians have entered not guilty pleas, while the grandfather was also released and rushed to hospital himself following a 'medical emergency'.
A timeline of the allegations against the Siders family
31 March 2008
Gary Siders Jr, 18, and Elizabeth Siders, 15, are married in Mason County, West Virginia with the consent of Elizabeth’s parents
30 May 2008
The couple’s eldest child is born. More children are born in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022 (twins), 2024 (twins), and 2025.
2021
The superintendent of the Gallia County Local Schools in southeast Ohio told WSAZ3 there are records from this year showing Gary Jr. and Elizabeth were parents with a local school at the time.
10 November 2022
Elizabeth Siders prematurely delivers conjoined twins, who die an hour after they are born. Named Faith Lee and Bailey Lee Siders, they were joined at the chest, face-to-face, according to birth certificates obtained by WCMH.
2022
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the Siders family moved to Vinton County, again in southeast Ohio, around this time.
23 and 27 May 2026
A criminal complaint against Gary Siders Jr accused him of ‘recklessly exposing his private parts’ on two occasions on these dates.
30 June 2026
An arrest warrant is issued for Gary Siders Jr related to four alleged counts of public indecency.
Police attend the Siders’ home in relation to this investigation and find 16 children living in what police describe as deplorable conditions.
Authorities claim the children were confined to a 12-foot by 12-foot space for four years.
Gary Siders Sr, 73, Christina Siders, 67, Gary Siders Jr, 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, are arrested and charged with 16 counts of endangering children, second degree felonies. All have since entered not guilty please.
3 July 2026
In an interview with WSYX ABC 6, Elizabeth Siders’ lawyer Thomas Stolly said on meeting his client for the first time: “I met a woman who was timid and who was exhausted. It looked like she had been crying quite a bit. She looked distraught.”
When asked if Elizabeth is also a victim in the case, he says: “I don’t think she would classify herself as a victim.”
He says the initial coverage of conditions at the Siders’ home is ‘not the whole story’.
7 July 2026
All four of the defendants waive their right to a preliminary hearing, meaning the case will now go before a grand jury.
They will decide whether to indict the four accused family members.
On the same day, Gary Sr.’s legal team ask for his $300,000 bail to be waived. They argue it is excessive, saying the 73-year-old has ‘significant health issues’ and ‘very limited mobility’, and doesn’t have the capacity to post any bail money.
His lawyer, Dorian Keith Baum, says Gary Sr. ‘has denied any and all allegations against him’ and has ‘a vested interest… to clear his name’.
Baum also says he has concerns about Gary Sr’s competency to stand trial.
That day, Gary Sr. is transported to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital in Athens. If released from hospital, he will be required to wear a GPS monitor. His bond is changed to a recognizance bond, which means he doesn’t have to pay the money upfront.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: True Crime, US News
James Moorhouse