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A forensic psychologist weighed in on the horrific case where 16 children were rescued from deplorable conditions in Ohio.
On June 30, authorities entered the “house of horrors” and made a sickening discovery. 16 “feral” children were living among human waste, trash, and insects. Some of the children were nonverbal and others were said to be in serious condition, requiring urgent medical treatment. Investigators believe the children were confined to a single 12-by-12-foot room for nearly four years.
While the world contemplated how such evil could have unfolded at the hands of four adults, and who should be held responsible for the abuse. Dr. John Delatorre, a forensic psychologist in Texas, offered a theory to the Daily Mail. It comes after sickening photos inside the Ohio house of horrors revealed where the 16 'feral' kids slept and toys they played with.
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“I think we are looking at multigenerational abuse occurring here,” he said. “You don't get to a place like this as your initial step. This is layer upon layer upon layer of abuse.”
“Those layers suggest a long history, which means we should be looking at the older adults — the grandparents in this case,” he added.
“I think Gary Sr. decided he wanted a life in which he did whatever he wanted, to whomever he wanted, whenever he wanted”
“To maintain that, he would have had to coerce his wife into compliance, then his son and daughter-in-law, before ultimately exerting the same control over his grandchildren.”
“It's impossible to know exactly why he would do this. It could stem from abuse he experienced as a child himself — or it could simply be that he wanted to.”
Gary Siders Sr., 73, was arrested and charged alongside his wife, Christina 'Lynn' Siders, 67; his son, Gary Siders Jr., 36, who was identified as the father of the children; and Elizabeth Siders, 33, who was identified as the mother.
Days after his arrest, Gary Sr. was taken to a hospital amid health concerns. According to Delatorre, if Gary Sr. was the dominant figure in the household, his declining health or death would not necessarily have ended the abuse.
By the time he declined, Delatorre said, the abuse may simply have become "normal" within the household, allowing the remaining adults to continue the same patterns of abuse after he was gone.
An attorney for Elizabeth Siders argued that she was a teen when she became impregnated and married Gary Jr. Facebook posts made by her estranged brothers also claimed that she had suffered a difficult upbringing before running away and becoming fully entrenched in the Siders family.
Her brother, Russell, argued that Elizabeth had completely "wrapped her life up due to indoctrination," emphasizing that the extreme psychological control over her was "100% real.”
It comes after a chilling Ohio case as a second house of horrors was found - with authorities disgusted.
