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Ohio birth and marriage records reveal that at least three members of the extended Siders family wed as young teenagers, including the mother-of-16 who was arrested last month on multiple child endangerment charges.
The background of the Ohio-based Siders family has come under intense scrutiny following a disturbing child endangerment case involving several family members that surfaced in recent weeks.
Four adults - including Gary Siders Jr., 36; Gary Siders, 73; Elizabeth Siders, 34; and Christina Siders, 67 - were taken into custody last month after law enforcement executed a search warrant obtained following a tip that Elizabeth's husband, Gary, had allegedly exposed himself to neighbors on four separate occasions. Authorities contend that the family's Hamden residence was discovered in appalling condition, reports Mirror US.
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Investigators also unexpectedly uncovered 16 "almost feral" children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old, allegedly confined to a feces-infested 12-foot-by-12-foot room.
Police stated that some children were unable to communicate, and several required hospitalization. The state has since allocated funds to assist in treating the children, who have reportedly been placed in foster care.
All four adults were taken into custody at Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail, with bail set at $300,000 per defendant. Each entered a not guilty plea.
Further details about the case and the Siders family's history have continued to emerge in the weeks following their widely publicized arrests. Newly uncovered information by The Columbus Dispatch reveals that at least three members of the extended Siders family were wed as young teenagers, among them a pregnant 14 year old named Tessi Wright, who married her 48 year old boyfriend, Richard E. Siders, in 2002.
Tessi confirmed to The New York Times that Richard, who has since passed away, was a cousin of Gary Siders Sr.
Additional teenage marriages include that of 15 year old Elizabeth Russell, who wed Gary Siders Jr. in 2008. He is estimated to have been between 17 and 18 years old at the time, though his precise age has not been confirmed.
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Just two months after their wedding, the couple conceived their first child, going on to have 18 children in total, according to The Columbus Dispatch. However, the Ohio child endangerment case pertains to only 16 of those children.
Furthermore, 15-year-old Virginia Siders married Joshua Saunders in 2003.
Child marriage advocates have seized upon the case as compelling evidence of the urgent need to reform existing marriage legislation.
Since 2019, Ohio has prohibited young teens who were frequently pregnant from getting married following a bombshell investigation by the Dayton Daily News, raising the minimum marriage age to 18. A loophole does remain, however, allowing 17-year-olds to marry under specific circumstances.
Between 2000 and 2024, at least 15 children under the age of 15 were married in Ohio, including two 10 year old girls in 2017.
