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The 73-year-old Siders appeared in court in a wheelchair. His
attorney, Dorian Baum, said after the hearing that Siders'
mental health has been declining for years and is “not
restorable.”
“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.”
Siders was charged with 16 counts of child endangerment related
to the children, who were rescued June 30 from a home in Hamden
about 80 miles (129 kilometers) south of Columbus.
Siders' wife, Christina Siders; son Gary Siders Jr., and
daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, the children’s mother, have
pleaded not guilty.
Investigators said the children remained mostly confined to a
small room in the house under deplorable conditions. The
children weren’t enrolled in school, the family moved around
over the past two decades, and neighbors said they’d never
spotted the kids.
At the time they were found, the children ranged in age from 18
months to 18 years, with some described as “feral” and unable to
speak. Authorities said their medical conditions varied.
The eldest was born in May 2008, two months after Gary Siders
Jr., then 18, and Elizabeth, then 15, crossed into West Virginia
to marry at the Mason County Courthouse with her parents’
consent, according to court records. She has been pregnant most
years since then, the records show.
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