Disturbing Ohio ‘House of Horrors’ floor plan shows alleged room 16 ‘feral’ kids were kept
The layout of the squalid property where 16 children were rescued from dubbed the 'Ohio House of Horrors' has been revealed.
More than a dozen kids - aged between 18 months and 18 years - have been in the care of the state since 30 June after their parents and grandparents were arrested after police raided the pad.
Details about the 'deplorable' conditions that the Siders family were living in have been emerging since the four adult family members were taken into custody, and now, a floor plan detailing how it was set up has surfaced.
Elizabeth Siders, 33, her husband Gary Siders Jr, 36, and his parents Gary Siders Sr, 73, Christina Siders, 67, have been charged with felony child endangerment.
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The foursome have been accused of forcing the 16 children in the home to live in conditions which were described as 'disgusting' by investigators.
The youngsters had not been enrolled in school, while officials in Vinton County said they also 'believe the family largely avoided establishing medical and other government records'.
At an earlier press conference, Attorney General Andy Wilson explained that authorities 'didn't know there were going to be 16 kids there' when police swooped into the home in relation to unrelated indecent exposure charges waged against Gary Jr.
"It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America," he said. "They looked like almost feral animals. It was terrible."
Wilson suggested that the Siders were 'pretty adept at keeping these kids out of sight and away from investigators’ eyes', while neighbours have told how they were 'oblivious to what was going on' behind close doors.
Images claiming to show the interior of the family home previously circulated online, forcing investigators to explain that harrowing photos doing the rounds online are not authentic.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said the snaps were likely made with artificial intelligence and told reporters: "If you've seen some of the stuff on social media - there were pictures of the kids in cages, caged up in houses."
"The problem with social media is you don't have to be telling the truth, you don't have to say that something is accurate,"Archer said. "I don't understand why people put stuff like this on there. It's not truthful, it's not accurate.
"But I can't stop it. All I can do is shrug my shoulders and say, 'Why are we doing this to these victims?' They're going to be tarnished by this for a long part of their lives."
Officials allege that the 16 children, who are said to have limited communication, spent the majority of the last four years confined to a room that measures roughly 12ft x 12ft.
Speaking of what his experience of visiting the home in Vinton County was like, Wilson said: "I can still smell it. I cannot get the smell off of me or away from me right now. I think if they would have waited another 24 hours, there was a very high probability that we’d be dealing with a death or multiple deaths of these children."
The Siders family home is listed on Realtor.com and the real estate platform offers some further information about the layout of the property where the Siders lived in the village of Hamden.
It explains that the pad - which is situated on 182 Ohmer Street - was built in 1900, while it is said to cover 1,336sqft.
The home is listed as having one bathroom, suggesting all 20 people in the house were relied upon this solely.
It is said to boast three bedrooms, as well as two other rooms and is described as being suited for a 'single family'.
According to Realtor.com, the one-storey property is estimated to be worth around $112,000.
Despite the allegations laid out by authorities, the lawyer representing the mum of the 16 children, Elizabeth, has claimed that he has 'seen some things to contradict' them.
The Siders' previous pad
A man who purchased a pad which the Siders family reportedly used to live in between 2020 and 2024 also spoke out in wake of the kids being rescued, as he revealed what they allegedly left behind.
The homeowner, Bruce Gulick, claimed: "There are a lot of kids clothes in the attic stuffed away like someone was like living up in there. The whole entire house was just urine and human and cat faeces, so it was pretty rough."
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Gary Jr's request for a gag order was signed by a judge in Vinton County on 14 July.
His attorney Lee Roberts argued that statements made by officials could taint the jury pool and impact his right to a fair trial. His mother Christina then submitted a request for a gag order too.
NewsNation reported that if it is granted, authorities will be forbidden from releasing 'information regarding the merits, facts, evidence, materials in discovery or information otherwise collected by the parties in preparation for trial, or any opinion regarding the character, reputation or credibility of the defendant, witnesses or alleged victims to the public, the media or any persons for the purpose of public dissemination'.
Olivia Burke