Siders' Family House

Author: Jewls Krueger

On the morning of Tuesday, June 30, 2026, Vinton County Sheriff's Office deputies and agents with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation executed a search warrant at a small home on Ohmer Road in the tiny village of Hamden, Ohio. Inside, they discovered 16 children ranging in age from 17 months to 18 years old, living in what Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson would later describe as "pure evil." The children's parents and grandparents were all arrested. The case remains an active investigation.

The Siders Family

Four members of the Siders family were arrested and charged. Gary Siders Jr., 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, are the parents of all 16 children. Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 67, are the paternal grandparents.

According to a statement Elizabeth Siders' attorney Thomas Stolly made to the Associated Press, Elizabeth married Gary Siders Jr. when she was 15 years old. All 16 children are theirs. Stolly also told the AP that Elizabeth left high school after the 11th grade, that all of the children were born in area hospitals, and that Gary Siders Jr. had been driving for DoorDash while looking for other work at the time of the arrests.

Investigators believe members of the Siders family had moved between multiple Ohio counties for years, dating back to at least 2008, and had ties to Gallia County, Ohio and Wisconsin. The family had been in Vinton County for approximately four years. Vinton County Local School District officials confirmed that none of the 16 children were ever enrolled in the district.

The Raid on the Siders' Home

Authorities went to the home Tuesday morning on what they have described as an unrelated investigation. Court records show a warrant was issued for Gary Siders Jr. that day on misdemeanor indecent exposure charges related to alleged incidents on four different days in May.

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said the home reflected "third-world conditions" and that the children had been kept in a room measuring roughly 12 feet by 12 feet "for most of the last 4 years." Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson later said that had authorities waited another 24 hours, some of the children may not have survived. All 16 children were removed from the home and transported to Columbus-area hospitals for evaluation. According to the Associated Press, seven were hospitalized, including one child in critical condition.

Charges Against the Siders

Each of the four adults was charged with 16 counts of felony child endangerment, one for each child. The complaints allege that every child suffered "serious physical harm." Gary Siders Jr. also faces four additional counts of public indecency stemming from the May incidents. All four defendants were arraigned on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 in Vinton County Common Pleas Court, entered not guilty pleas, and were held on $300,000 surety or cash bond each. The Vinton County Prosecutor's Office has indicated that additional criminal charges are expected as the investigation continues.

The 16 children were placed in the temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The Siders House Today

The home at 182 Ohmer Road sits on a quiet rural road in the village of Hamden, Ohio, in Vinton County, approximately 60 miles southeast of Columbus. The village has fewer than 1,000 residents. According to the Associated Press, the property sits alongside a steep railroad embankment, with the closest neighbors separated by trees and thick brush. Since the raid, the home's windows and doors have been boarded up, and police tape and piles of refuse still surround it.

Please be respectful of the surrounding neighbors, do not disturb the ongoing investigation, stay on public roads and walkways at all times, and do not attempt to enter the property or interact with anyone in the immediate area.