Ohio 'house of horrors' mom makes new legal request that could impact case after 16 'feral' children found
The attorney for the mother of the 16 children who were found in allegedly appalling conditions inside a Vinton County home has made a fresh legal request.
Elizabeth Siders' attorney Thomas Stolly filed a motion calling for the suspect to undergo a mental health assessment to determine whether she can legally stand trial.
The motion, which was filed on Tuesday (August 4) in Vinton County Common Pleas Court, claims Siders 'may be suffering from significant mental health issues' that could impact her ability to defend herself in court.
Stolly said in the recently filed motion reviewed by ABC 6: "Counsel believes that the Defendant's significant mental health issues would not only affect whether she is competent to stand trial, but would also have affected her ability to understand the wrongfulness of her conduct ... such that the Defendant would not have fully understood the consequences of her actions at the time of the alleged offenses, should such actions have actually constituted criminal conduct."
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Last month, 16 children were rescued from a rural Ohio home after being found in what officials described as 'deplorable' and 'pure evil' conditions.
Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders, their son Gary Siders, Jr., and his wife Elizabeth were arrested on June 30 and have been charged with child endangering.
They pleaded not guilty during an arraignment that took place on July 1.
Competency hearings have already been approved for Gary Sr., Gary Jr. and Christina.
Stolly previously hit back at statements officials have made about the case, telling WSYX : "The person that I met with is not someone who comes across as pure evil. Evil requires malice, and the person that I saw there, Elizabeth, she doesn't have that in her eyes, at least from this initial meeting."
Gary Sr. released from hospital on new bond agreement
Court records show that Gary Sr. is no longer in jail after being released from hospital. It's unclear why he was in hospital, though new bond details show he must keep the court informed of any address and phone number changes.
He must also appear at all court hearings going forward.
Ronnie Fletcher, who is married to the daughter of Siders Sr., has spoken out in the aftermath of his 'distant family's' arrest.
Fletcher told WOWK-TV: "Horrified. Worried about the kids. It’s hard to explain the action when you’re distant family.
"What can I do to help?’ That was the original reaction to it.”
Fletcher continued: "It’s been awful for the people that had no idea that was going on in the house that are related to this family.
"I mean, we’ve had death threats – we’ve been told that we need to be put in front of an execution line of guns and, you know, killed and burned. I mean, it’s been bad."
"If we would have known that it was like that in that home, we would have done something about it, even if it was just to go there and take the kids ourselves or give them money.
"Them girls [Gary Sr. and Christina’s daughters] would have went there and cleaned the house themselves if they’d known it was like that."
Police said that none of the 16 children had been enrolled into a school, and the eldest child was unable to write her own name.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson previously said at a news conference: "These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids. We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there. It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America.
"They looked like almost feral animals. It was terrible.”
A timeline of the allegations against the Siders family
March 31 2008
Gary Siders Jr, 18, and Elizabeth Siders, 15, are married in Mason County, West Virginia with the consent of Elizabeth’s parents
May 30 2008
The couple’s eldest child is born. More children are born in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022 (twins), 2024 (twins), and 2025.
October 19 2021
The superintendent of the Gallia County Local Schools in southeast Ohio told WSAZ3 there are records from this year showing Gary Jr. and Elizabeth were parents with a local school at the time.
Court records obtained by the Columbus Dispatch reveal that Gallia County Juvenile Court filed six truancy complaints against Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders for failing to send their children to school.
The kids were allegedly absent for the entirety of the 2021-2022 academic year.
January 2022
The truancy cases against the Siders family are closed because they could not be located or served, according to court records reviewed by WCHS.
November 10 2022
Elizabeth Siders prematurely delivers conjoined twins, who die an hour after they are born. Named Faith Lee and Bailey Lee Siders, they were joined at the chest, face-to-face, according to birth certificates obtained by WCMH.
May 23, 27, 29 and 31 2026
Court records show Gary Siders Jr. is accused of exposing himself on four separate occasions on these dates, WOWK reports.
June 30 2026
An arrest warrant is issued for Gary Siders Jr related to four alleged counts of public indecency.
Police attend the Siders’ home in relation to this investigation and find 16 children living in what police describe as deplorable conditions.
Authorities claim the children were confined to a 12-foot by 12-foot space for four years.
Gary Siders Sr, 73, Christina Siders, 67, Gary Siders Jr, 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, are arrested and charged with 16 counts of endangering children, second degree felonies. All have since entered not guilty pleas.
July 3 2026
In an interview with WSYX ABC 6, Elizabeth Siders’ lawyer Thomas Stolly said on meeting his client for the first time: “I met a woman who was timid and who was exhausted. It looked like she had been crying quite a bit. She looked distraught.”
When asked if Elizabeth is also a victim in the case, he says: “I don’t think she would classify herself as a victim.”
He says the initial coverage of conditions at the Siders’ home is ‘not the whole story’.
July 7 2026
All four of the defendants waive their right to a preliminary hearing, meaning the case will now go before a grand jury.
They will decide whether to indict the four accused family members.
On the same day, Gary Sr.’s legal team ask for his $300,000 bail to be waived. They argue it is excessive, saying the 73-year-old has ‘significant health issues’ and ‘very limited mobility’, and doesn’t have the capacity to post any bail money.
His lawyer, Dorian Keith Baum, says Gary Sr. ‘has denied any and all allegations against him’ and has ‘a vested interest… to clear his name’.
Baum also says he has concerns about Gary Sr’s competency to stand trial.
That day, Gary Sr. is transported to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital in Athens. If released from hospital, he will be required to wear a GPS monitor. His bond is changed to a recognizance bond, which means he doesn’t have to pay the money upfront.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth also asks to be released from prison and her bond changed to a recognizance bond. Stolly says: "The Defendant maintains that her principal desire [is] to reunite with her children; she understands that reunification of any sort is an impossibility if she does not appear before this Court."
July 8 2026
Vinton County prosecutor William Archer Jr. tells press that Gary Sr. 'has a serious medical condition that requires specialized care' that would 'potentially bankrupt Vinton County' if he'd remained in jail and the county had to pay for his care. Removing the 16 children from the Siders' home more than doubled the number of children in temporary care in Vinton County, putting further financial strain on local authorities.
Judge Laina Fetherolf Rogers approves a request for Gary Sr to have a competency evaluation.
July 14 2026
Judge Laina Fetherolf Rogers signs a gag order on information relating to Gary Siders Jr. This means that attorneys and public officials are prohibited from talking about the case against him to the press. Gary Jr's lawyer Lee Roberts said it was necessary to ensure he had a fair trial.
July 16 2026
Christina Siders' attorney also applies for a gag order.
July 28 2026
Roberts asks for Christina to be released on a recognizance bond, making new claims about the Siders' household.
Roberts writes in court documents that Christina 'was the only adult in the home who had long been providing for all the other adults and all the children residing in her home'.
She continues: "Despite her own medical conditions, Defendant was also tasked with caring for her husband and his significant medical needs and physical limitations."
It's unclear how Christina earned money to provide for the family.
July 29 2026
Judge Rogers approves requests for Gary Jr and Christina to undergo competency evaluations. These will determine if they understand the charges brought against them and are fit to stand trial.
August 3 2026
Gary Sr's bond is modified again and records indicate he has been released from hospital. He is required to wear a GPS monitoring device and submit to drug and alcohol screenings.
He'll owe the state $300,000 if he breaks these strict rules.
August 4 2026
Stolly files a request for Elizabeth to undergo a competency hearing.
Callum Jones