Ohio mother of 16 children pleads not guilty to child endangerment and sexual battery charges

A Vinton County judge heard the arraignment of Elizabeth Siders, 34, on Wednesday. The Ohio mother of 16 children entered not-guilty pleas to 19 counts of child endangerment and to two charges each of sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in a separate case. Prosecutors said a search warrant executed on June 30 uncovered the children living in a home littered with feces, with some unable to speak.

The sexual-abuse indictment, filed on Aug. 21, alleges that Siders and her husband, Gary Siders Jr., 36, abused a minor aged 13 to 16 in 2022 while acting “in loco parentis.” The victim is not one of the Siders’ children. The judge ordered Siders to have no contact with her children, the minor victim, or her husband and set a $250,000 bond in addition to a $300,000 bond for the child-endangerment charges. She remained in jail after the hearing.

Defense attorney Thomas Stolly argued that Siders may be a victim herself, noting her early marriage at age 15 and a history of frequent pregnancies without regular medical care. He has requested a competency evaluation, which was granted last month and is awaiting results.

All 16 children, ages 1½ to 18, are currently in state custody. Gary Siders Jr. also pleaded not guilty and remains incarcerated. Gary Siders Sr., 73, was found not competent to stand trial, and his mental-health condition was described as deteriorating. Christina Siders, 68, pleaded not guilty to the initial charges and awaits arraignment on the indictment; she is also in jail pending a bond hearing. Both Gary Jr. and Christina have requested competency evaluations.

The investigations began in December with a probe into sexual abuse involving two children, which later expanded to include the Siders household. A grand jury issued the indictments in August, charging the family members with multiple counts of child endangerment and sexual-abuse offenses.