The county sheriff who saw the Ohio home where 16 children were shockingly left for years in squalor and decay has described his experience.

According to reports, a number of the children had severe injuries, while four adults – believed to be their parents and grandparents – were arrested and charged with 17 counts of child abuse.

The discovery and subsequent removal of the children has left the small town of Hamden, Ohio (population 717) reeling in disbelief. Investigators say the family had moved around a lot over the past two decades, while the children were not enrolled in school and were mostly confined to a small room in the house.

According to investigators, the boys and girls, ranging in age from one-and-a-half to 18 years old, lived in a home that lacked basic sanitation and was riddled with filth and excrement.

Attorney General Wilson noted that the house was in such a state of neglect that the children were “literally about to fall through the floor”, while they had suffered such “serious physical harm” that two had to be flown to specialist trauma centres. A further seven were taken to Columbus Hospitals, with one admitted to the ICU and intubated.

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain witnessed the scene firsthand, describing the residence as “disgusting”. He revealed that investigators believe the 16 children were restricted to a single 12ft by 12ft room for the majority of the four years they spent there.

Some of the children were completely non-verbal and others had very limited speech capabilities. The oldest child, an 18-year-old with developmental disabilities, is unable to spell her own name.

“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” Cain stated, as per Sky News.

Governor Mike DeWine spoke out on the horrifying find, describing it as “tragic”.

“Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson has kept me informed about the tragic situation in Vinton County. I have talked to Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain to offer any help that we might be able to provide,” DeWine told the official State of Ohio site.

“The Director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, Kara Wente, has been working today to assist Vinton County Children’s Services, and will continue to help in the days ahead.”

DeWine added: “It is heartbreaking to learn the conditions that these children were living in, and to learn of their medical conditions. Attorney General Wilson is an experienced prosecutor and he has told me he has never seen anything like what he saw today.

“Fran and I pray for these children, and thank the children’s services workers, law enforcement officers, and medical personnel who are helping them.”

The four defendants, parents Gary Siders Jr., 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, as well as the grandparents, Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina Siders, 67, made their first court appearance in Vinton County via video link from the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail.

During the hearing, the judge entered not guilty pleas on behalf of all four family members. A bond of $300,000 was set for each defendant.

Neighbors living in the Hamden area said they never spotted the children.

“Right under our noses and nobody was able to help them sooner,” Emily Collins, 27, owner of VC Farm & Floral in nearby McArthur said, as per AP.

“It’s just crazy with all the wonderful things going on in our little Hallmark town and this is what puts us on the radar. It’s really sad.”