Ohio 'house of horrors' mom reportedly pregnant again after 16 kids rescued

The lawyer representing the Ohio mother whose 16 children were taken from what officials described as a “house of horrors” stood by his client, insisting she always “wanted a big family.”

In an interview with WBNS10TV this week, Tommy Stolley slammed the media for “sensationalizing” the case involving Elizabeth Siders, 33, who was arrested alongside three family members on child endangerment charges after officials found the 16 children living like “feral animals” in their Ohio residence.

“What she’s told me repeatedly is that she and Gary wanted a big family. I don’t know if they wanted a family that was this big, but they repeatedly said, she’s repeatedly said to me that she wanted a big family. She said that kids are a gift from God and that she was open to that,” he stated during the interview.

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Officials also alleged the family confined the children inside a 12-by-12 room. “I don’t think we’ve seen any evidence to prove that,” Stolley remarked, addressing the allegation.

“There’s been no evidence to suggest that there were any restraints in the home.”, reports the Mirror US.

In a significant development on Friday, Elizabeth may be pregnant with another child, according to emerging reports.

Police characterize the conditions inside the Hamden, Ohio, residence as appalling. Officers responding to the residence Tuesday for an unrelated matter found the youngsters, ranging in age from one and a half to 18 years old, with some unable to speak.

Medical personnel rushed seven children to the hospital, including one in critical condition, authorities confirmed.

Four adults – the children’s parents and grandparents – were arrested on child endangerment charges. Gary Siders Jr., 36, Gary Siders, 73, Elizabeth and Christina Siders, 67, all entered not guilty pleas to the charges. Bond has been set at $300,000 for each defendant, reports the Mirror US.

The arrests come after troubling revelations from the children’s uncle regarding the “evil” household.

Recent reports now suggest Elizabeth Siders may be expecting again.

During her show, Crime Fix with Angenette Levy, the host said: “So, right now, it would appear that Elizabeth Ciders is actually pregnant with her 19th child.”

Mark Weaver, a former Ohio deputy attorney general, shared his thoughts on the speculation. He said: “There are special problems that arise with a pregnant inmate. They present a unique health problem that most rural jails are not equipped to handle.

“She may get bond on the basis alone. She’s obviously differently situated, if in fact she is pregnant.”

Mirror US has been unable to independently confirm whether Siders is pregnant. Elizabeth was only 15 when she gave birth to her first child.

Officials have suggested they believe the case involves ‘intrafamily’ dynamics, sparking concerns about potential incestuous relationships.

According to law enforcement, the children were confined to a space measuring approximately 12 feet by 12 feet, with human waste strewn across the area.

“They looked like almost feral animals. It was terrible,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said.

Elizabeth, who is the children’s mother, wed their father, Gary Siders Jr. , when she was 15, and all the children are theirs together, Stolley confirmed.

She appeared “crying and exhausted” when they met Thursday, Stolley stated.

“In fact, my client’s first question to me when I walked into the jail and introduced myself was about her kids. She asked if her children were OK, she asked if I knew where they were, and she asked when she’d be able to see them again,” Stolley said.

He was unable to answer those questions, “but I thought it was telling that her first concern was not, ‘When can I get out of jail,’ but was ‘Are my children OK.'”

Stolley acknowledged that prosecutors had not yet disclosed their evidence to him, but said nothing he’d reviewed so far supported Wilson’s characterization of the family as “pure evil.”

Residents are struggling to come to terms with how something so allegedly horrific could have unfolded right under their noses. Neighbors of the family in the small community of Hamden, employees at local stores they frequented, and even the investigators who responded to the scene have found it difficult to make sense of what occurred, with authorities releasing only limited details.

The children were not enrolled in any school, the family had relocated numerous times over the past two decades, and neighbors reported never catching a glimpse of the kids. Investigators disclosed that the children were largely confined to a cramped room within the house under deeply troubling conditions.

Those residing near the family in the tight-knit community of Hamden, staff at shops they regularly visited, and even law enforcement officials who arrived at the property have been left grappling with the situation, as sparse information from authorities continues to offer little clarity.

The children had no registration at any educational institution, the family had moved repeatedly across the last two decades, and nearby residents noted they had never seen the children outside. Officials revealed the youngsters were mostly kept restricted to a small space inside the home under deplorable circumstances.

“Right under our noses and nobody was able to help them sooner,” said Emily Collins, 27, owner of VC Farm and Floral in nearby McArthur, expressing her anguish over how the situation contradicts the community’s close-knit nature.

“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,” said the mother of three, who picked up her chalk and adorned the pavement outside her store with colorful flowers and stars for the Fourth of July in an attempt to brighten her mood.

Stolley added: “Evil requires malice, and I did not see any malice in Elizabeth.” He continued, “I think that this is more so a case of isolation than a case of evil, and I think that there’s an important distinction there. Because if that’s all you know — and you have to think someone at 15 years old doesn’t know a whole lot about being an adult, about being a mother, about being a wife – and that’s been your worldview for the past 17 or 18 years, you get shaped by that.”

Stolley noted that Elizabeth didn’t portray herself as a victim, remarking “I think it may be too early to actually determine what was going on there.”

“While the headlines may be sensational, there’s a real human component to this and so I would ask people to give this process time to play out,” Stolley said. This news comes in the wake of reports that conjoined twins were born at the notorious incest house of horrors.