Second home linked to Ohio ‘House of Horrors’ family who kept 16 ‘feral’ kids
Records for the Siders family, who are accused of keeping 16 of their children like 'feral animals' in a room in their house, indicate they had a second home they lived in for several years.
The current Siders home has been described as a 'house of horrors' after Ohio law enforcement entered the Vinton County property and found 16 children kept in a roughly 12-by-12-foot room which officials believe they've been in for around four years.
Police had gone to the property because of an unrelated warrant for Gary Siders Jr. when they made the discovery.
Elizabeth Siders, 33, her husband Gary Siders Jr., 36, and his parents Gary Siders Sr., 73, Christina Siders, 67, were taken into custody and charged with felony child endangerment.
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According to ABC6, birth records indicate that some members of the Siders family were living at a different Ohio property in Gallia County within the past few years.
They report that other records also indicate six of the children were enrolled in a nearby school but during the 2021-2022 school year a pile of truancy complaints indicated they'd not been going for months.
The truancy case against the family was closed in January 2022 because the Siders family couldn't be located and court documents couldn't be served to them.
While birth records indicate some of the family members were living in the Gallia County property between 2020 and 2024, investigators believe that the children kept in a room in the Vinton County home were there for around four years.
Neighbours said the family mostly kept to themselves, but their kids had played with some of the children years ago.
“My sister-in-law told me that their kids had talked to them, but they didn't know them either. They didn't hang out with him or anything. Possibly in 2021 or summer 2022, somewhere in that area," neighbour Melissa Edmonds said.
The house was bought by someone else earlier this year, and a man named Bruce Gullick who is renovating the property said things were 'pretty rough' inside.
He said: "A lot of kids' clothes in the attic stuffed away like someone was living up there.
"The whole entire house was just urine, human and pet faeces, so it was pretty rough."
The children found in the Vinton County home ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years, the family's legal representative reminded people they're 'innocent until proven guilty' and said he 'does not see any malice' in Elizabeth.
Other records about the Siders family indicate multiple teen marriages involving girls aged 15 or younger.
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.
19 October 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.
The kids were allegedly absent for the entirety of the 2021-2022 academic year.
January 2022
The truancy cases against the Siders family are closed because they could not be located or served, according to court records reviewed by WCHS.
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.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth also asks to be released from prison and her bond changed to a recognizance bond. Stolly says: "The Defendant maintains that her principal desire [is] to reunite with her children; she understands that reunification of any sort is an impossibility if she does not appear before this Court."
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.
Joe Harker