An Ohio grandfather charged with multiple counts of endangering children was found not competent to stand trial. Gary Siders Sr., 73, was evaluated for mental competency after authorities rescued 16 children in the squalid home in which he lived, alongside his wife, son, and daughter-in-law.
Grandfather Failed Mental Evaluation
Siders Sr. was found mentally incompetent on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, by a Vinton County judge, who accepted the results of his mental evaluation. Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer did not challenge those results; therefore, the accused’s fate is unknown at this time.
Siders’ attorney Dorian Baum spoke to reporters after the competency hearing, explaining that his condition is “not restorable” and his mental health has been declining for years. “It’s not really a surprise to any of us that he’s not been found competent at this point,” Baum said. “He doesn’t fully understand or appreciate what’s going on.”
Child Endangerment Charges
Siders is charged with 16 counts of child endangerment in connection with the case where 16 children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years, were rescued from his home in Hamden, Ohio.
The other three individuals who lived in the home, Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders, who are the assumed parents of all 16 children, and the paternal grandmother, Christina Siders, are each charged with 19 counts of child endangerment. They will also undergo mental competency evaluations to determine if they are fit to stand trial.
Ohio Home Raid
Authorities visited the Siders’ family home on a separate warrant for the arrest of Siders Jr. on June 30, 2026. They were not anticipating the gruesome and disturbing discovery of over a dozen children living in “deplorable” conditions, according to Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson.
Two of the children had to be airlifted to trauma centers due to the severity of their injuries, while the others were sent to hospitals for medical treatment. All the children are currently in the custody of the state, and some are not able to speak.
Wilson described the childrens’ appearance as close to “feral animals” and Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain mentioned they had difficulty communicating with others. “They can communicate, but it’s extremely limited, and some, not at all,” Cain said in a statement after the raid.
Mental Competency Evaluations
Siders Sr.’s attorney asked the court to evaluate his mental competency in July and determine if he could be found not guilty by reason of insanity, which the judge ordered the following day. The said evaluation took place two months later on September 9, and the same day he was found incompetent.
All four adults have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are undergoing competency evaluations. Siders Sr. was released shortly after he was taken into custody due to medical reasons, but the remaining family members are in custody.
Elizabeth Siders, the assumed mother, said that all she wants is to be reunited with her children. Her attorney, Thomas Stolly, requested a formal evaluation to determine whether she is capable of standing trial for the charges against her, and he also requested a second evaluation.
Should the first evaluation come back deeming her fit to stand trial, then the second evaluation would determine whether she is able to be found not guilty by reason of insanity due to the mental health conditions she was suffering at the time of the alleged offenses.
It is unclear how Siders Jr. or Christina Siders plan to move forward with their case and the charges against them.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to http://www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
