SerpApi.Org
New details have come to light surrounding an Ohio house of horrors, where authorities discovered 16 children living in deplorable conditions.
Ronnie Fletcher, whose wife is the daughter of suspects Gary Siders Sr. and Christina "Lynn" Siders, says his family has been thrust into the center of the disturbing case following the arrest of four relatives on child endangerment charges. "What can I do to help? That was the original reaction to it," Fletcher told WOWK.
"Horrified. Worried about the kids. It's hard to explain the action when you're distant family." The children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years, were discovered in a cramped, run-down residence in Hamden, Ohio, a small town with a population of 727, according to the 2020 census. Officials have characterized the situation as an "intrafamily case," indicating that some of the children may have been born as a result of sexual relations between family members. It was further revealed that the children's mother, Elizabeth Siders, wed Gary Jr. at the age of 15 and gave birth just months afterward. They looked like almost feral animals," Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said. "It was terrible." It follows another sickening incest case where children showed signs of troubling behavior years after their abuse.
- Woman 'sews roommate's lips shut' as victim writes desperate 2-word note
- Serial killer 'The Serpent' poisoned hikers in chilling murder spree and is now free
Gary Sr., Christina, Gary Jr., and Elizabeth each faced 16 counts of child endangerment. Fletcher disclosed that he and his wife, who serve as aunt and uncle to the children, only became aware of the allegations when law enforcement publicly announced the arrests last week.
He noted that the extended family had grown apart over the years, leaving him completely unaware of the conditions inside the home. "If we would have known that it was like that in that home, we would have done something about it, even if it was just to go there and take the kids ourselves or give them money," said Fletcher.
"Them girls would have [gone] there and cleaned the house themselves if they'd known it was like that."
Fletcher says the ordeal has turned the family's world completely upside down. "It's been awful for the people that had no idea that was going on in the house that are related to this family," he said.
"I mean, we've had death threats - we've been told that we need to be put in front of an execution line of guns and... killed and burned," Fletcher revealed that even his own daughters were targeted with death threats, compelling relatives to shut down their social media accounts.
Fletcher's wife says she is too scared to return to her job, and the family's upcoming business venture now hangs in the balance. "All this is taking money off our table because we can't live our normal lives because of the way these people are trying to treat us on something we didn't have nothing to do with," said Fletcher.
"How am I supposed to start a business in this community when I'm being stapled to the face of 'pure evil?'" Fletcher's remarks emerge as additional information about the family's circumstances has been revealed. Elizabeth, one of four accused individuals, was merely 15 years old when she wed Gary Jr. in 2008.
She was seven months pregnant at the time.
Mason County documentation shows that Elizabeth's parents, Brian Ray Russell and Lori Ann Raines, approved the marriage. The couple resided just two houses away from each other in Gaila County, Ohio.
Gary Jr. had finished ninth grade, while Elizabeth had only completed eighth grade, the records indicate. Elizabeth and the remaining accused have all entered not guilty pleas.
A judge prohibited the four accused from contacting each other or the children and established bail at $300,000 apiece. Should they be released, they are required to wear GPS ankle monitors.
It comes after a documentary maker revealed the thing that will haunt him forever after finding America's most inbred family.
