Neighbor of home where 16 children were found in 'deplorable conditions' says he saw 'no kids at all'

The neighbor of a house where 16 children were rescued from 'deplorable' conditions has said that he didn't see any children at the address 'at all'.

Authorities rescued the children, aged between one and a half and 18, from the property in Ohio, where officers described how they appeared to have spent most of their time confined to a single room measuring 12ft by 12ft, with human waste scattered around.

Police had been executing a warrant at a property related to a separate investigation in the village of Hamden, which is located about 80 miles south-east of Colombus.

But when they entered the address, the officers discovered the children, some of whom couldn't speak, and the eldest of whom could not spell her own name.

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said: “Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children. Just a disgusting scene.”

Now, a neighbor has revealed that they saw no indication from outside that the children were there.

Gary Siders Jr. and and Elizabeth Siders have been arraigned in relation to the incident (Southeast Ohio Jail)

Joseph Stewart, 60, has lived three houses up from the property for six years and said that he saw 'no kids at all' at the property, even though he was able to see the house and yard clearly when he went by.

"It's a sad situation," he said, calling the area a 'quiet neighbourhood'.

'They looked like almost feral animals'

Officials have said that it appeared as if nobody outside of the family was aware that the children were being kept in the house, and the children were not enrolled in school.

At a news conference, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said: “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.”

He added he 'can’t get the smell off of me' 24 hours after leaving the house.

Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders have also been arraigned (Southeast Ohio Jail)

Seven of the children were subsequently taken to hospitals in Colombus, with two being flown by helicopter. As of Tuesday one was in critical condition..

The kids have been taken into the temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

William Archer is the prosecuting attorney for Vinton County, and confirmed that four adults have been arraigned on suspicion of second-degree felony child endangering.

The suspects have been named as Gary Siders Jr, Gary Siders Sr, Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders, have been taken into custody in connection with the case, according to First Alert 6.

They each face 16 counts of endangering children, a second-degree felony. Each charge carries a maximum prison sentence of eight years.

The bond for all family members was set at $300,000.

An investigation has now been opened, including checks into whether anyone in the family has previously been reported to child protective services.