A second property connected to the Siders family has come under investigation weeks after 16 children were discovered living in unsafe conditions at a home in Hamden, Ohio.
Authorities and investigators identified another residence linked to the family in Gallia County, located about 16 kilometers away from the Hamden property. A local builder who was hired to renovate the home after it was sold said the conditions he found inside appeared similar to those described at the original residence.
According to court records, the family lived at the Gallia County address from 2020 until 2024 before moving to the Hamden home in Vinton County, where the children were discovered on June 30. Investigators said the family had moved frequently over the years before eventually settling in Hamden.
Bruce Gullick, the builder brought in to repair the abandoned Gallia County property after its sale in May, described the condition of the home when he entered.
He told WSYX that he found children’s clothing stored in the attic, suggesting the space may have been used as a living area.
Gullick also described the interior as being heavily contaminated, saying he found what appeared to be human and animal waste throughout the house.
A nearby neighbor, Melissa Edmonds, said she was largely unaware of the family’s presence while they lived there and did not realize when they moved away.
“It was kind of just an empty house,” she said, describing the property as being left in poor condition.
Edmonds recalled that her nephew had briefly interacted with some of the children during one summer, possibly in 2021 or 2022, but said the children did not spend time socializing with others in the neighborhood.
Latest Details in the Case
The children’s parents, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, along with Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 77, were arrested following the June 30 discovery.
All four were charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment and have pleaded not guilty.
Following the rescue, two children were transported by air to specialized trauma facilities. Seven additional children were taken to hospitals in Columbus, where one was reportedly admitted to intensive care and placed on a ventilator.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue examining the family’s history and the conditions at the properties connected to them.
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