Sixteen children found in a Hamden, Ohio, home are now in state custody, and the question is where they go next. Most of them had lived in a single 12-by-12 room, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said. Authorities have called the conditions “horrific” and described the children as “feral” because of how little they could communicate.
On June 30, police arrested four adults on child endangerment charges: Gary Siders Sr., 73; Christina Siders, 66; Gary Siders Jr., 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33. Authorities have alleged the parents and grandparents abused and neglected the children.
Seven of the children went to hospitals in Columbus. Two were flown there by helicopter, and one was in critical condition after the rescue. Officials did not say whether any remain hospitalized.
“It’s going to take a lot of work to address the emotional harm and some of the issues that are going to result from this,” Wilson said at a news conference. He added that the state has to make sure the children are “surrounded and loved and supported by people who truly care for them.”
Finding them homes
Foster families or residential care facilities may take them in. Heidi Wuescher, youth wellness program director at Fostering Hope Ohio, called it “an extraordinarily complex situation that will require expertise from many disciplines.” Therapy, behavioral health help and financial assistance may all be needed alongside placement. Finding one foster home able to give long-term care could prove hard.
Kin may not be the answer. A man who said he was the children’s uncle told reporters he was “distant” from the family, and that relatives were “horrified” to learn what had happened. It is not clear whether the children will be split among homes. In the Turpin case in California, six of 13 siblings were placed in a foster home where they were abused again.
The Vinton County School District told WCMH it has no record of any of the children being enrolled. Ohio counted nearly 14,500 students in foster care in the 2024-2025 school year and just under 7,000 licensed foster families last year.
Money on the table
Ohio is weighing $1 million for the children. The Department of Children and Youth plans a late agenda item asking for funds for foster placements and court proceedings, and two people familiar with the request told WCMH the state Controlling Board is expected to approve it on July 13. The figure rests on an estimated $100 to $250 a day per child through the end of the fiscal year. The state also intends to seek federal money.
Olivia Wile, a spokesperson for Ohio House Republicans, said lawmakers are talking with the DeWine administration about funding “in response to the deplorable situation in Vinton County.”
