Unnerving reconstruction shows alleged room 16 ‘feral’ kids were kept in ‘house of horrors’
Ohio state investigators suspect that 16 children aged between 18 months and 18 years were being forced to live in a 12-by-12 foot room for four years.
Mum Elizabeth Siders is accused of keeping her children in the small room and remains in custody at the Vinton County Jail on a $300,000 bond.
The 33-year-old, who was arrested on 30 June along with her husband, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and his parents, Gary Siders, 73, and Christina Siders, 67, has pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of child neglect.
“I cannot get the smell off of me,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson previously told a press conference.
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“I have never seen anything like what I saw today. It really looked third world. It is not something we are used to seeing in America.”
WSYX ABC 6 recreated the same-size room with 16 adults, as volunteers who were in there for 10 minutes said it quickly became uncomfortable.
“When I first walked into the room, the room seemed so much larger as we continued to stand in the room it was difficult to move around,” Holly Beardsley said.
“It got stuffy, it got crowded,” added Hannah O'Riordan, “We didn't know what to do with our arms, we were trying to be in the space and think about what to do and say.
“It's really upsetting, to think this is all they know. I couldn't imagine, I am sorry, I couldn't imagine, I know that's all they know, there's such a pureness with kids, they adapt in the environment they are in.”
The lawyer representing Siders, however, has disputed the accuracy of some of the details released by authorities.
“There’s no indication that the kids were not free to move about the home. There’s no indication from my conversations with my client that the kids were not allowed to go outside,” J. Thomas Stolly told WBNS.
Attorney General Wilson said the kids were like 'feral animals', calling the property 'one of the worst environments' he had ever seen during his career.
"We're still at the early stages of this criminal case,” Stolly added. "And so that's one of the reasons that it's important to push back against language like that.
"And it's important to remember that Elizabeth and the rest of the Siders family are innocent until proven guilty.
"When you use language like 'feral' kids, you're imagining people that have been isolated away from human contact.
"People who have never interacted with any sort of social media, with the internet, with humans outside of their own home, or even humans in general, who completely lack the ability to use language.
"There's nothing to suggest that that is the case here. And in fact, we've seen some things to contradict that."
LADbible has reached out to the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
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. Marital records indicate Elizabeth's education topped at eighth grade, while Gary Siders Jr. left school after completing ninth grade.
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.
Court records obtained by the Columbus Dispatch reveal that Gallia County Juvenile Court filed six truancy complaints against Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders for failing to send their children to school.
2022
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the Siders family moved to Vinton County, again in southeast Ohio, around this 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.
23, 27, 29 and 31 May 2026
Court records show Gary Siders Jr. is accused of exposing himself on four separate occasions on these dates, WOWK reports.
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 pleas.
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.
8 July 2026
Vinton County prosecutor William Archer Jr. tells press that Gary Sr. 'has a serious medical condition that requires specialized care' that would 'potentially bankrupt Vinton County' if he'd remained in jail and the county had to pay for his care. Removing the 16 children from the Siders' home more than doubled the number of children in temporary care in Vinton County, putting further financial strain on local authorities.
Anish Vij