McARTHUR, Ohio (AP) — Gary Siders Sr., a 73-year-old man whose 16 grandchildren were discovered living in appalling conditions at his rural southern Ohio home, was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial on Wednesday. A Vinton County judge accepted the findings of a mental evaluation report, with Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer expressing no objections to the results.
During the court hearing, Siders was present in a wheelchair. His attorney, Dorian Baum, indicated that Siders' mental health has deteriorated over several years and is “not restorable.” Baum added that it was not unexpected for Siders to be deemed incompetent to stand trial, noting that he “doesn’t fully understand or appreciate what’s going on.”
Gary Siders Sr. faced 16 counts of child endangerment after the children were rescued on June 30 from a residence in Hamden, located approximately 80 miles (129 kilometers) south of Columbus. The circumstances surrounding their living conditions were shocking, with investigators reporting that the children were primarily confined to a small room in the home under severely unsanitary conditions.
The children, whose ages ranged from 18 months to 18 years at the time of their discovery, were not enrolled in school. The family had moved several times over the past two decades, and neighbors stated they had never seen the children before. Some of the children were described as “feral” and unable to communicate verbally, and various medical issues were reported among them.
The oldest child was born in May 2008, just two months after Gary Siders Jr., aged 18, and Elizabeth Siders, aged 15 at that time, traveled to West Virginia to marry at the Mason County Courthouse with parental consent, according to court records. Elizabeth Siders has reportedly been pregnant almost every year since their marriage.
In addition to Gary Siders Sr., his wife, Christina Siders; his son, Gary Siders Jr.; and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, the children's mother, have all pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. As legal proceedings unfold, the focus remains on the grim circumstances under which these children were found and the broader implications of their situation.
