Mum of 16 rescued Ohio kids once gave birth to dead conjoined twins

Newly released state records show that Elizabeth Siders, the mother of the 16 children pulled from a filthy Hamden home on 30 June 2026, had delivered conjoined twin girls who died the same day in 2022.

At a press conference on 1 July 2026, the New York Post reported that vital‑statistics documents confirm Elizabeth Siders gave birth to Bailey Lee and Faith Lee Siders at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus on 20 November 2022. The twins were born at just 24 weeks gestation with thoracopagus, a form of conjoined twins where the faces and chests are fused. The babies died of natural causes later that day.

Media additions

How the horror house was uncovered

On Tuesday 30 June 2026, deputies from the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office executed a warrant at the Siders’ residence in the tiny village of Hamden, less than 1,000 residents and about 60 miles southeast of Columbus. The warrant was tied to a separate domestic‑abuse investigation, not child‑welfare concerns.

“Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said.

Andy Wilson, Ohio Attorney General, via Ladbible

Inside a cramped 12‑by‑12‑foot room the officers found human waste smeared on walls and floors, a scene the Daily Mail described as “pure evil”. Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain called it “disgusting” and noted that “most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children.”

“It was terrible. They looked like almost feral animals,” Wilson added.

Andy Wilson, Ohio Attorney General, via AOL

Sixteen children, ages from 18 months to 18 years, were discovered. Several were in serious condition; two were airlifted to Level One trauma centres, and at least one required intubation. Some could not speak at all, and the 18‑year‑old eldest child could not even write her own name.

Arrests, charges and bail

The adults taken into custody were Elizabeth Siders (33), Gary Siders Jr (36), his father Gary Siders Sr (73) and the grandmother Christina Siders (67). All four pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of child endangerment, a second‑degree felony. A judge set bail at $300,000 each, and the maximum penalty, if convicted, could reach 192 years in prison.

According to the Daily Star, it remains unclear whether Elizabeth Siders and Gary Jr are the biological parents of every child; Attorney General Wilson referred to the case as an “intra‑family case.”

Family background and community shock

Elizabeth Siders married Gary Jr in 2008 when she was 15 and he was 18, a detail highlighted by the New York Post. Their oldest child, the 18‑year‑old girl, was reportedly born two months after the wedding.

Extended‑family members were blindsided. Ronnie Fletcher, the children’s uncle, told local outlet WOWK 13 that he believed the couple had “around 10 children” and “had no idea of the conditions.” He said the family has since received death threats and their social‑media accounts were taken down.

Terri Siders, a distant relative, told NBC News (as reported by the Daily Mail) she had not heard from the family in at least eight years and never saw the children.

Neighbors in Hamden say they never saw any children at the house, and the Vinton County School District confirmed no enrollment records exist for the youngsters. Jacqueline Yahn, an associate professor at Ohio University specializing in rural education and poverty, explained that a lack of “well‑checks” can allow such neglect to persist undetected.

Timeline

• 20 Nov 2022 – Elizabeth Siders delivers conjoined twins Bailey Lee and Faith Lee at Riverside Methodist Hospital; both die later that day.
• 2008 – Elizabeth Siders marries Gary Siders Jr at age 15.
• 30 Jun 2026 – Vinton County deputies execute warrant; 16 children rescued from 12 ft × 12 ft room.
• 1 Jul 2026 – Attorney General Andy Wilson holds press conference, describes scene as “pure evil.”
• 2 Jul 2026 – Four adults arraigned, plead not guilty; bail set at $300,000 each.