Conjoined twins ‘died at Ohio incest house of horrors’ | US | News
Elizabeth Siders faces serious charges (Image: Police)
The mother of 16 children rescued from a house of terror and living like ‘wild animals’ once gave birth to conjoined twins, newly released government records have revealed.
Sixteen children were removed from a filthy and decrepit property where they were “kept in conditions worse than livestock.”
Authorities described the alleged crimes as a ‘domestic’ case and stated that some children may have been born from incestuous relationships within the family.
Authorities say the children, who range in age from 18 months to 18 years old, along with four adults — Gary Siders Jr, Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders, who appear to be their parents and grandparents — “appeared to be wild animals” and are now facing criminal charges.
Prosecutor William Archer said the carers were responsible for causing “serious physical harm”. New documents revealed in the case show that Elizabeth Siders gave birth to daughters Bailey Lee and Faith Lee Siders in 2022 at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
They were born with a condition called thoracopagus, where their face and chest are attached.
According to records, they tragically passed away that day.
Deputies came across a horrific sight where all the children were imprisoned in a dilapidated three and a half square meter structure covered in human feces. The horrific conditions the children were said to have endured for four years were described as “pure evil” by Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson.
Wilson described children as existing in “conditions you couldn’t imagine humans being in, let alone children being in.”
16 children living like animals were rescued from home (Image: Police)
He observed several children unable to communicate verbally, and investigators discovered that an 18-year-old boy found on the property was unable to write his name. Wilson said: “It was scary. They almost looked like wild animals. It was scary.”
The two parents and two grandparents each face 17 counts of child endangerment, a second-degree felony.
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain expressed surprise at the incident, saying: “Many of our animals were kept in better conditions than children.”
Seven of the children were taken to Columbus hospitals, two of whom had to be airlifted urgently.
Many children could not communicate verbally (Image: Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK, via Imagn Images)
Wilson confirmed Tuesday that one child was in critical condition while the others were receiving medical treatment.
He emphasized that the priority was to tackle the children’s physical health, while also acknowledging the severe psychological trauma that prolonged captivity would create.
Authorities declined to specify how all the children were related to each other but confirmed this was not a case of human trafficking.
The four suspects have no connection to the local community and investigators believe they are constantly moving to avoid the retention of medical and official records.
Police say children live like animals (Image: Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK, via Imagn Images)
“These people were pretty good at hiding these kids,” Mr. Wilson said. “Our children deserve better from their parents, guardians and guardians. No child should have to endure these types of conditions,” said Prosecutor Archer.
“My office will do everything we can to ensure these children receive the love and care they deserve. My office will prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent of the law.”
The four defendants appeared in Vinton County Common Pleas Court Wednesday morning and were held in custody on $300,000 bail. Investigators believe the Siders family has lived in multiple Ohio counties since 2008 and are investigating whether they had any previous contact with child services.
The harrowing discovery took place in the small town of Hamden, home to fewer than 1,000 residents, located about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.
