A grand jury issued indictments Friday in the Vinton County child endangerment case, and it came with some surprises.
The parents of 16 children found living in deplorable conditions in a rental home have been indicted on two charges each of unlawful sexual contact with a minor child. The child is not a member of their immediate family.
The parents, Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders, also each face two charges of sexual battery in connection with that child.
It was the investigation of those alleged crimes, beginning in May, that led law enforcement to execute a search warrant at the Siders’ home in the village of Hamden on June 30. They were there to get a DNA sample of Gary Jr. for genetic testing, according to Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer.
Once inside the home, officers found 16 children in a room that, according to law enforcement, was filthy and contaminated with human feces.
Gary Jr.’s parents, Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders, also lived in the home.
The four adults were each initially charged with 16 counts of child endangerment. They are all in the process of being evaluated to determine whether they are competent to stand trial.
Gary Jr., Elizabeth and Christina have now been indicted on 12 charges each of felony child endangerment and seven charges each of misdemeanor child endangerment.
Gary Sr. was indicted on 10 felony and six misdemeanor charges of child endangerment.
The investigation that led to the charges against Gary Jr. and Elizabeth involving another child itself stemmed from an investigation into two men that began in December. That investigation involved allegations of sexual abuse involving two children.
“This case all started with diligent Dollar General clerks calling authorities with concerns over children they observed,” Archer said in a recorded statement.
The two men were arrested Friday and the grand jury issued indictments against them as well. Both are from South Bloomingville in Hocking County.
Josh Saunders, 23, was indicted on three charges of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition.
Brandon Henderson Sr., 40, was indicted on 21 charges, including endangering children, gross sexual imposition and sexual battery.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said in the news release that Friday’s “indictments are the latest developments in the ongoing investigations, but our work is far from complete.”
The state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations “is actively investigating these cases alongside the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office, and my office will continue to support Prosecuting Attorney William Archer as the legal process continues.”