Background: Law enforcement officials investigate a house on Ohmer Street in Hamden, Ohio (WSYX/YouTube). Insets (clockwise from top right): Gary Siders Jr.; Christina Siders; Elizabeth Siders; Gary Siders Sr. (Vinton County Sheriff's Office).
Four people are behind bars after authorities in Ohio say they found 16 children inside a home with "horrific" conditions.
Gary Siders Jr., Christina Siders, Elizabeth Siders, and Gary Siders Sr. are each charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment, authorities including Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced at a press conference, regional CBS affiliate WOIO reported.
On Tuesday, the Vinton County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at a house on the 100 block of Ohmer Street in Hamden, Ohio. Hamden is a small village in the southern part of the state.
There were 16 children inside the home, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Records reviewed by the newspaper from the county auditor's office show that the one-story home built in 1900 had five rooms and one bathroom.
Authorities said "the scene is horrific, and these are horrific allegations," though they did not share specific details because it is an "ongoing investigation." The sheriff's office did concede that the alleged child endangerment involved "serious physical harm."
Deputies said on Tuesday that the children were being treated medically, "and we're trying to get them placed, and that is our primary concern right at this point." They also noted that the defendants are not from Vinton County.
"This is pure evil," Wilson said at the press conference. "This probably was the worst scene that I've been in, as far as the deplorable conditions."
Nearby residents told local ABC affiliate WSYX that they heard there were multiple animals inside the home, too. One noted that he frequents the area and had never seen a child.
"I come up down through here all the time and I've never seen a kid out here," Larry Brown said.
Law enforcement reportedly indicated that this is not a case of human trafficking.
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