HAMDEN, Ohio — Four adults were arrested Tuesday on felony child endangerment charges after authorities said they found 16 children in urgent need of medical care inside a rural home in southern Ohio.
Investigators with the Ohio Bureau of Investigation and the local sheriff’s department searched a residence in the small village of Hamden, where officials described the living conditions as “deplorable.”
“Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said during a news conference.
Authorities identified the arrested adults as Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders. Officials said they had not yet been arraigned or assigned public defenders.
Vinton County Prosecuting Attorney William Archer said the suspects are facing second-degree felony child endangering charges because the case involves allegations of “serious physical harm.”
Officials did not say whether the children were related to one another, but they emphasized that the case was not believed to involve human trafficking. Authorities also said the adults were not from the area and appeared to have been traveling.
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Hamden, a village of fewer than 1,000 residents, is located about 60 miles, or 97 kilometers, southeast of Columbus.
The children, who ranged in age from about 18 months to 18 years old and included both boys and girls, were found in varying conditions, officials said. Several were seriously injured, and two were flown to Level 1 trauma centers for treatment.
Wilson said it was the worst scene he had ever encountered in his entire career, describing what he saw as “pure evil.”
Law enforcement were also executing a secondary search warrant at the home Tuesday, and the investigation is ongoing. The four adults will appear in court Wednesday morning.
“Justice will be served for these children,” Wilson said.
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