COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — In a new court filing, the presumed mother arrested in connection with a case investigating allegations of child abuse in Vinton County said her number one wish is to reunite with her children.
Elizabeth Siders, 33, is one of four adults charged with 16 counts of child endangerment after 16 children were rescued from a home in Hamden, Ohio, on June 30. On Wednesday, J. Thomas Stolly, her attorney, requested a recognizance bond for Elizabeth that would allow her to leave jail with stipulations. Stolly said her client has no known criminal history and the court has no indication she would be uncooperative with law enforcement.
“Through conversations with Counsel, 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,” the filing reads.
Stolly said he believes Elizabeth is the mother of all 16 children rescued from a home last week on Ohmer Street in Hamden, a village of about 700 people. She was taken into custody along with in-laws — Gary Siders, 73, and Christina Siders, 66 — and her husband, Gary Siders II, 36, who are each facing 16 counts of child endangerment. Elizabeth is currently being held on a $300,000 bond. See previous coverage in the video player above.
In the request for lower bond, Stolly argued it was a violation of the Eighth Amendment to hold Elizabeth Siders on “excessive bail.” He said Elizabeth does not pose a flight risk and that she has indicated she will be cooperative and would agree to wear a GPS monitor, provide the court with a stable living address and check in with her bond officer however frequently the court would require.
Stolly also argued the case against Elizabeth reveals she was living “in a home which exhibited extreme poverty,” so the court knows the $300,000 bond is not possible for her to pay. Stolly told the Associated Press that Siders’ first questions when the two met were about the children’s well-being.
Vinton County Sheriff’s deputies found the children, ranging in age from 1 to 18, allegedly living in a 12-by-12 room in “horrific” conditions, according to Attorney General Andy Wilson. Seven of the children spent the night in the hospital, two of whom were airlifted to trauma centers in serious condition.
Speaking Wednesday, Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said all the kids are safe and being cared for, but that he could not provide further details as to their conditions for privacy reasons. The case is expected to take time, and Wilson said many of the children are unable to communicate.
NBC4 obtained birth records for four of the 16 rescued children, including the oldest, which list Elizabeth as their mom and Gary II as their dad. NBC4 can not definitively comment on the parentage of the remaining children, and Archer said he does not “know that we have all of their birth certificates.”
Marriage licenses show Elizabeth and Gary II married on March 31, 2008, in Mason County, West Virginia, although they were living in nearby Gallipolis, Ohio, at the time on the same street. Elizabeth was 15 and Gary II was 18; both had completed a ninth-grade or lower level of education. The oldest child rescued from the home was born two months later.
The case was shared widely on social media, sparking speculation as to whether Elizabeth was also a victim, given her age at marriage. Stolly said Elizabeth did not consider herself a victim, but it may take more time to determine her circumstances.
“She’s willingly there at the home,” Ronnie Fletcher, Elizabeth’s brother-in-law, told NBC4 sister station WOWK of Charleston, West Virginia. “She did not have a good home life when they got together, escaped to Lynn [Christina] and Gary’s home.”
Fletcher is married to one of Gary II’s four older sisters, who said they were unaware of the alleged abuse and “horrified” by the case. He said he grew up visiting the Siders’ home multiple times a week, and back then, they were a typical family. Fletcher said he did not know if there was domestic violence or other concerns in the home, but alleged Elizabeth chose to be there.
Elizabeth’s request for reduced bond was the second filed in the case. Gary Sr. was released on an amended bond on Wednesday. Archer said Gary Siders Sr. fell and required hospitalization; while being treated at an Athens hospital, it was determined he needed more significant medical care for serious conditions.
Archer said the bond was changed to a recognizance bond so the county would not be responsible for the cost of medical care. Counties are responsible for covering medical costs for anyone within their jails, and Archer said the cost could have bankrupted the county had they not updated the bond. Archer said Siders Sr. will wear a GPS monitor if he is released from the hospital.
In the court filing, Stolly said Elizabeth would be of no threat to the victims as they are no longer in her care and that she has a vested interest in clearing her name and reuniting wiht the children. A judge has yet to rule or comment on the request.
