The attorney for the grandfather at the center of the Ohio child rescue case has filed a motion requesting a mental competency and insanity evaluation, a move that could significantly alter how the case proceeds.
Gary Siders Sr., 73, is one of four relatives charged after 16 children were found confined to a 12-by-12-foot room surrounded by human waste inside a home in Hamden, Ohio on June 30.
His attorney Dorian Baum has argued that Siders struggled to understand what the judge was saying during his court appearance, could not grasp the legal process, was unable to explain the roles of people in the courtroom including his own lawyers, and could not maintain a clear train of thought.
The motion argues that Siders may be suffering from significant mental health issues that prevent him from assisting in his own defense, and that his mental state may have also prevented him from understanding the wrongfulness of his alleged actions at the time.
Siders already released on bond
Siders was previously released from jail on a recognizance bond after suffering a medical emergency while being transported to a preliminary hearing.
Prosecutors said he fell and required treatment, with doctors later determining he had a serious medical condition requiring care outside the county. He is fitted with a GPS monitor.
Disturbing new details about the family revealed
As the case develops, disturbing new details about the family’s background have emerged. Law enforcement has described the investigation as an “intrafamily case,” indicating that some of the children may have been born through sexual relationships between relatives.
It has also come to light that the children’s mother, Elizabeth Siders, married Gary Siders Jr. in 2008 when she was just 15 years old and seven months pregnant. Court records show her parents consented to the marriage.
Two of the children were airlifted to specialist trauma centers following their rescue, seven more were taken to hospitals in Columbus, and one was admitted to the ICU and intubated. Authorities have said the children spent at least four years kept in conditions worse than livestock.
All four adults, Gary Siders Sr., Gary Siders Jr., 36, Elizabeth Siders, 33, and Christina Siders, 77, have been charged with 16 counts of child endangerment each and have pleaded not guilty.
A judge has ordered they have no contact with each other or with any of the children while the case proceeds.
