Sixteen children were found living in deplorable conditions in a Hamden, Ohio home — now known as the “Ohio house of horrors” — as new details emerge in the Hamden child endangerment case.

The home was searched in connection with a separate accusation against Gary Siders Jr (Image: Southeast Ohio Jail)

Officials have released additional shocking information about the circumstances surrounding 16 children found in Hamden, . The residence has been dubbed the “Ohio house of horrors” due to the appalling conditions discovered when law enforcement finally gained access.

Daily Mail reporter Mary O’Connor includes a previous residence in Cheshire, Ohio. There, she reports, neighbors who toured the property described floorboards so saturated with urine that they needed to “relay the foundations of the property”.

These same neighbors also observed padlocks installed on doors throughout the residence, creating a chilling glimpse into what during the family’s time there.

During a recent appearance on the Criminally Obsessed podcast, O’Connor mentioned that the family was spotted purchasing “big bottles of oil,” suggesting the parents may have been trying to get the kids to load up on “extra calories.”

Additionally, it emerged that absenteeism complaints were lodged with Adairville Elementary School during 2021 and 2022, identifying six of the Ohio children, ranging from 7 to 13 years old, as chronic truants. This development subsequently led the school board to pursue legal proceedings against the parents.

Authorities say they removed 16 children from the home in Hamden, Ohio

Authorities say they removed 16 children from the home in Hamden, Ohio (Image: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The children’s parents, Elizabeth Siders, 33, and her husband, Gary Siders Jr. , 36, along with his parents, Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 67, were all arrested on child endangerment charges.

Authorities discovered the children living in appalling conditions after executing a search warrant at the Hamden, Vinton County home in connection with a public indecency investigation involving Gary Siders Jr. Wilson described the evidence discovered as “beyond comprehension.”

During the June search warrant execution, investigators confirmed that none of the 16 children were registered in school. Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said the children “can communicate, but it’s extremely limited and some not at all.”

The small town of Hamden, which has a population of fewer than 1,000 residents, has been deeply shaken by the disclosures, with neighbors voicing shock at the conditions the children were purportedly enduring. Local residents also observed there was no “sign of any child” at the property.

Both Gary Siders Sr., the grandfather, and Jr., the children’s father, are currently undergoing mental competency evaluations to assess their fitness to stand trial. Additionally, Gary Jr. faces outstanding public indecency charges linked to unrelated incidents.

A sweeping gag order in the case restricts media access to court filings and evidence, complicating independent reporting and public information dissemination.