A distant relative of the 16 children described by authorities as “almost feral” after being removed from a feces-strewn Ohio home says his family has been receiving death threats, despite having no knowledge of the conditions inside.
Ronnie Fletcher, who is married to a daughter of Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders, told WOWK he was “horrified” when allegations surfaced last week that the children had been living in squalid conditions inside a cramped 12-by-12 room.
“It’s been awful for the people who are related to this family but had no idea what was happening in that house,” said Fletcher, a father of three.
“We’ve had death threats. People have said we should be lined up in front of guns, killed and burned,” he said.
Fletcher said the abuse has extended to his children as well, forcing the family to withdraw from public life and live like “hermits.”
“It’s gotten to the point where we’ve taken our pictures off our accounts and had to delete all our social media. It’s been terrible,” he said.
“My wife can’t even go to work because she deals with the public, and she’s scared.
“This is taking money off our table because we can’t live our normal lives, all because people are blaming us for something we had nothing to do with.”
“Hermits right now. Not trying to be out there.”
Fletcher stressed he would’ve taken action if he knew the true extent of the conditions inside the Hamden home
He thought there were only 10 children living inside the home — as opposed to the 16 who were found.
“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,” he said.
“Them girls would have went there and cleaned the house themselves if they’d knowed it was like that.”
Gary Siders, 73, Christina Siders, 67, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, were all charged with 16 counts of child endangerment after cops swooped on the home to carry out a warrant for an unrelated investigation.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson had said investigators wore masks as they made their way inside the trash-stacked home, adding that the children looked “almost feral.”
“Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in,” he said.
The oldest child found inside the home, which had just five rooms and a bathroom, is 18, according to the authorities. They were born in May 2008 – just two months after Elizabeth Siders married Gary Siders Jr in West Virginia when she was 15.
They are developmentally disabled and unable to write her name, according to the authorities, who said that none of the children were enrolled at school.
“One of the investigative challenges is that [the children] are limited,” Ryan Cain, the Vinton County Sheriff, said.
“They can communicate but it’s extremely limited and some not at all. The scene is horrific and these are horrific allegations.”
Cain also revealed feces was found inside the home and was likely contaminated with bacteria.
“It was just a disgusting scene,” he said. “Our livestock are kept in better condition than these children.”
William Archer, the Vinton County prosecutor, said, “This is an intra-family situation. This is not human trafficking.”
Court records show the other children’s ages as 16, 15, 14, 13, 11, 10, 8, 6, and 5, along with 4-year-old twins, 2-year-old twins and 1-year-old twins.
The kids were taken to hospitals across Ohio after the rescue. Some were listed in serious condition, including two who were airlifted to trauma centers and at least one who had to be intubated, according to officials.
Wilson vowed, “Justice will be served for these children.”
All four suspects pleaded not guilty during their arraignment last Wednesday.
With Post wires.
