Man whose 16 grandchildren found living in filthy conditions is found incompetent to stand trial

McARTHUR, Ohio (AP) — A man whose 16 grandchildren were discovered living in squalid conditions at a rural southern Ohio home was found mentally incompetent to stand trial Wednesday.

A judge in Vinton County accepted the findings of an evaluation report for Gary Siders Sr. Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer did not object to the findings.

The 73-year-old Siders appeared in court in a wheelchair. His attorney, Dorian Baum, said after the hearing that Siders’ mental health has been declining for years and is “not restorable.”

“It’s not really a surprise to any of us that he’s not been found competent at this point,” Baum said. “He doesn’t fully understand or appreciate what’s going on.”

Siders was charged with 16 counts of child endangerment related to the children, who were rescued June 30 from a home in Hamden about 80 miles (129 kilometers) south of Columbus.

Siders’ wife, Christina Siders; son Gary Siders Jr., and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, the children’s mother, have pleaded not guilty.

Investigators said the children remained mostly confined to a small room in the house under deplorable conditions. The children weren’t enrolled in school, the family moved around over the past two decades, and neighbors said they’d never spotted the kids.

At the time they were found, the children ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years, with some described as “feral” and unable to speak. Authorities said their medical conditions varied.

The eldest was born in May 2008, two months after Gary Siders Jr., then 18, and Elizabeth, then 15, crossed into West Virginia to marry at the Mason County Courthouse with her parents’ consent, according to court records. She has been pregnant most years since then, the records show.