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Haunting surveillance footage shows the mother accused of raising 16 “almost feral” children in Ohio’s “house of horrors” cowering in an orange jail jumpsuit as investigators question her after her arrest.
The arrests followed a June 30 raid on a property in Hamden, Ohio, where deputies found 16 children ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old.
According to investigators, the children had endured years of neglect inside a home covered in dirt and feces, with more than half reportedly confined to a single 12-foot-by-12-foot room for at least the past four years.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described what he saw as “pure evil.”
“They looked like almost feral animals. It was terrible,” Wilson said, while Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain added, “Most of their livestock was kept in better condition than their children.”
Cain also said investigators found a “high presence” of bacterial contamination and human feces throughout the home, adding the children “were literally about to fall through the floor.”
Elizabeth Siders, 33, her husband Gary Siders Jr., 36, Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 77, have each been charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment. All four have pleaded not guilty.
Elizabeth, Gary Jr. and Christina remain jailed on $300,000 cash bonds, while Gary Sr. is receiving medical treatment after being released on a $300,000 recognizance bond with GPS monitoring.
She looked distraught
As investigators continue building their case, Elizabeth’s attorney, Thomas Stolly, has argued there is another side to his client that the public has not yet seen.
“I had no idea what I was walking into,” Stolly told WSYX ABC 6. “I saw the same headlines everyone else did. At one point, the term ‘pure evil’ was used to describe Elizabeth and the home, and at another point, there was a comment that livestock had been treated better.”
Instead of the woman he expected to meet, Stolly said he found someone who appeared emotionally drained.
“I met a woman who was timid and who was exhausted. It looked like she had been crying quite a bit. She looked distraught. And she was willing to talk to me. Able to talk to me.”
Stolly also pointed to Elizabeth’s own upbringing, arguing it should not be overlooked as the case moves through the courts.
Public records show that on March 31, 2008, the mother – then Elizabeth Russell – married the kid’s father, Gary Siders Jr., when she was just 15 years old. Gary was 19 at the time and since his bride was underage at the time, both sets of parents were required to sign the marriage certificate.
“I think that this is more so a case of isolation than a case of evil, and I think that there’s an important distinction there,” Stolly said. “Because if that’s all you know – and you have to think someone at 15 years old doesn’t know a whole lot about being an adult, about being a mother, about being a wife – and that’s been your worldview for the past 17 or 18 years, you get shaped by that.”
‘Are the kids OK?’
Stolly said one part of his conversation with his client – a woman he described as “fragile” – stayed with him more than anything else.
“She did say that she misses her kids and that’s one of the things that shocked me – the first question that she asked me was, ‘are the kids OK? When can I see the kids?’ ‘Do you know anything about where they are?’” Stolly said.
“I thought it was telling that her first concern was not, ‘When can I get out of jail,’ but was ‘Are my children OK?’”
New footage of Siders in jail
That interview came before newly released surveillance footage captured Elizabeth and the three other defendants arriving at the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail following their arrests.
Gary Sr. appeared to struggle as he got out of a Vinton County Sheriff’s Office van before deputies placed him in a wheelchair. Gary Jr. was escorted into the jail wearing ankle shackles and handcuffs, while Christina was also led inside in handcuffs.
Elizabeth, who has a prominent mark on her arm that looks like a bruise – was the only member of the family not seen wearing handcuffs or leg restraints.
During the booking process, Elizabeth walked with her head lowered before taking a seat in a plastic chair placed in the hallway and facing a desk. The mother, who looked “distraught,” was dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, and her hair appeared wet. As officers questioned her, she remained hunched over with her hands resting in her lap, lifting her head only once to look around.
After watching the newly released footage, what stood out to you about Elizabeth Siders’ body language? Let us know in the comments below.
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