Authorities say a search of an Ohio home turned up 16 children living in conditions so poor that the state's attorney general called it "pure evil." Agents executing a warrant on Tuesday at a house in Hamden, in Vinton County, removed the children—ranging from about 18 months to 18 years—and arrested four adults: Gary Siders Sr., Gary Siders Jr., Christina Siders, and Elizabeth Siders, reports WBNS. The kids were found in "conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in," Attorney General Andy Wilson said at a presser, per the AP.
Each suspect faces charges of child endangerment, a second-degree felony, per WBNS. Several of the children were reported in serious condition, with two flown to hospitals. Officials didn't detail what prompted the search but said Wednesday the children are all part of the same family, reports the AP. The suspects, who prosecutors say aren't from Vinton County, appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. Wilson said the conditions in the home "looked third world," and that it appeared the children largely lived in one room for much of the past four years.
Neighbors appeared shocked after news broke of the arrest, per the Columbus Dispatch. One said he had no clue that children even lived in the home. He and another neighbor described sometimes seeing an older male lounging on his front porch who would wave at them, though that was the extent of their interactions.
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