Her bond was raised to $550,000 as the children remain in state custody following a July rescue from squalid conditions.
The legal proceedings surrounding Elizabeth Siders unfolded in Vinton County court on Wednesday, bringing fresh scrutiny to a case that stunned investigators earlier this year. Siders, 34, entered not guilty pleas to a raft of charges stemming from both the condition of her home and a separate criminal indictment.
Arraignment Details and Bond Increase
During the Wednesday hearing, Siders appeared in an orange jumpsuit, dressed in an orange jumpsuit according to The Daily Mail cited by Fox News, and cradled her stomach while keeping her belly clutched and shielding her stomach in front of a judge.
Some of the children were unable to speak at all when discovered, appearing “almost feral” after having been confined to one 12ft-by-12ft room among human waste for much of the past four years according to authorities cited by The Guardian.
She hung her head as the judge mandated that she have no contact with her children, her husband, or the minor victim involved in the separate case. She remained incarcerated following the hearing.
Separate Sexual Battery Indictment
In addition to the child endangerment counts, Siders pleaded not guilty to two charges each of sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Prosecutors brought those indictments on August 21 against both Elizabeth Siders and her husband, Gary Siders Jr.
The alleged abuse involved a minor victim between the ages of 13 and 16 during 2022. Court documents and a copy of the indictment obtained by People, as reported by The Guardian, indicate that the victim was not one of Siders’ 16 children, but rather another relative who was in the couple’s care at the time.
Family Arrests and Competency Evaluations
The initial June 30 arrests swept up multiple generations of the household. Elizabeth Siders, her husband Gary Siders Jr., and her in-laws Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders all faced charges following the discovery of the children. Fox News noted that the initial search stemmed from a child sexual abuse investigation involving extended family members Brandon Henderson, the longtime partner of Gary Siders Jr.’s sister, and Joshua Saunders, a cousin of the 16 rescued children, according to a FOX 8 report.
Photo: Nbcnews
Gary Siders Jr. pleaded not guilty to charges against him in August according to The Guardian, but was found incompetent to stand trial last week.
Gary Siders Sr. was likewise found incompetent to stand trial last week.
Elizabeth Siders, Gary Siders Jr., and Christina Siders have all filed requests for competency evaluations.
Elizabeth Siders’ defense attorney, Tommy Stolly, previously requested a competency evaluation for his client, which the court granted last month. Those results are still pending, and Stolly stated that an evaluation will determine the next steps in the case while noting that competency concerns remain.
Defense Arguments on Background and Health
Addressing the court on Wednesday, Stolly emphasized his client’s personal history and raised questions about her mental health and capacity to understand the legal proceedings, suggesting to local media and the court that Elizabeth herself may be a victim given her background.
Photo: Fox News
“We have an individual in Elizabeth who was married at age 15, who has essentially been pregnant for the better part of two decades, who has never fully gone through any postpartum period, who has not been receiving regular medical care that would be appropriate for someone who has had 16, 18 children.”
Mother of 16 rescued Ohio children pleads not guilty
Tommy Stolly, Defense Attorney
Stolly argued that these factors raise serious concerns regarding what effects repeated pregnancies and isolation within the Siders household had on her mental state. He told the court that if her mindset was not there, and she didn’t have the ability or the capacity to understand it and make decisions in an informed way, that could certainly negate legal liability. Stolly also mentioned to the court that his client still asks to see her children.
Birth records obtained by local media outlet ABC6 show that Siders gave birth to a child in February 2022, and subsequently gave birth prematurely to twins in November 2022 who died shortly after birth. Meanwhile, all 16 surviving children remain in state custody as the legal process moves forward.
