An Ohio man already facing child endangerment charges alongside his wife after authorities rescued 16 children from their home has now been charged with abusing another teenager who previously lived with the family.
Gary Siders II, 36, is accused of abusing a child between the ages of 13 and 16 whom the family took in for at least nine months in 2022. Court records show Gary and his wife, 33-year-old Elizabeth Siders, took the youth into their home between Jan. 1, 2022, and Sept. 1, 2022, at a time when the couple already had 12 children of their own.
According to court filings, Gary is accused of abusing the child while acting “in loco parentis,” a legal status where an adult takes on parental responsibilities for a minor.
While prosecutors previously alleged during a press conference that Elizabeth also abused the teen, no formal charges have been filed against her regarding that specific child. The teen was not among the children rescued from the residence this year.
Gary now faces multiple criminal trials following the new 𝘢bu𝘴e charge.
Both Gary and Elizabeth were previously indicted by a Vinton County grand jury on 19 counts of child endangerment—12 felonies and seven misdemeanors—following a law enforcement raid on their residence on June 30.
Deputies removed 16 children, ranging from 18 months to 18 years old, from the home. County officials have since taken custody of the children to provide medical care and ongoing treatment.
Following the June rescue, the children were transported to local hospitals. At a July 1 news conference, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said some were treated and released, others required further care, and several were admitted in serious condition for extended stays.
Wilson described the conditions inside the residence, noting that 24 hours after the raid, the pungent odor from the home lingered. He added that the children were “covered in bugs and squatting and had that like distant look in their eyes,” stating that authorities may have arrived too late if they had not acted immediately upon learning about the home. Wilson noted that assessing the full extent of the alleged neglect has been difficult because the children have an “extremely limited” ability to communicate.
Records indicate Elizabeth lost conjoined twins shortly after a premature delivery later in 2022, and later delivered sets of healthy twins in January 2024 and January 2025.
Elizabeth recently requested a bond reduction to reunite with her children, but prosecutors opposed the motion, writing in a court memorandum that she posed a “potential risk to the victims in this case” if released.
She is currently awaiting the results of a court-ordered competency evaluation. Her father-in-law, Gary Siders, was evaluated earlier and determined unfit to stand trial.
Both Gary and Elizabeth Siders have pleaded not guilty to all child endangerment charges related to the 16 children. Attorneys representing the couple did not respond to requests for comment.