A 73-year-old Ohio man charged after 16 of his grandchildren were discovered living in deeply troubling conditions may never face a criminal trial, after a psychological evaluation concluded that his mental decline is irreversible.

Gary Siders Sr. appears in court on Sept. 9, 2026. (Court TV)

Gary Siders Sr. appeared in a Vinton County courtroom in a wheelchair on Wednesday, Sept. 9, where a judge accepted the findings that he is mentally incompetent to stand trial and is “not restorable” — meaning doctors do not expect his condition to improve enough for him to participate meaningfully in his defense. Prosecutor William Archer did not object to the evaluation’s conclusions.

The finding could bring the criminal case against Siders Sr. to an unexpectedly swift end. His attorney, Dorian Baum, said prosecutors are now likely to either dismiss the charges or seek civil commitment.

“The prosecution against [Siders] is very likely coming to a very quick end,” Baum said.

Attorney says Siders could not understand what was happening

Trash is piled outside of the home where four members of the Siders family allegedly lived with 16 children. (Court TV)

Siders’ competency had been questioned after his attorneys sought a psychological evaluation examining whether he was capable of standing trial.

According to Baum, the resulting report considered both his client’s mental and physical health and documented a deterioration that had become increasingly apparent.

Baum said his interactions with Siders had already raised serious concerns about whether the 73-year-old understood the legal proceedings against him.

“I would rarely get direct answers to very basic questions,” Baum said. “There was a concern about whether or not he had a grasp of what was going on.”

Other reporting from the hearing described Baum as saying Siders’ mental health had been declining for years. The evaluation ultimately determined that he could not currently assist in his defense and that his condition was not expected to improve sufficiently for him to stand trial.

That distinction is significant. A finding of incompetency does not determine whether Siders committed the alleged offenses. Instead, it concerns whether he can understand the proceedings and participate adequately in his own defense.

16 children discovered inside Hamden home

The case began on June 30, when authorities executed search warrants at a residence in Hamden, a small community in Vinton County in southern Ohio.

Investigators discovered 16 children inside the home. Authorities said they were living in deplorable conditions, and several required hospital treatment.

The children ranged in age from approximately 18 months to 18 years. Authorities said some were in serious medical condition when they were removed, with two requiring transport to Level I trauma centers.

Investigators said the children had largely been confined to a roughly 12-foot-by-12-foot room. Reports from the investigation described severe sanitation problems inside the residence.

The discovery led to the arrests of four members of the Siders family: Gary Siders Sr.; his wife, Christina Siders; their son, Gary Siders Jr.; and their daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, the mother of the children.

The children were removed from the property and placed in the temporary custody of Ohio’s child welfare system.

Siders Sr. faces multiple child-endangerment counts

Siders Sr. was ultimately indicted on 16 child-endangerment counts — 10 third-degree felony counts and six misdemeanor counts, according to court reporting on the case.

The other three defendants are also facing charges connected to the conditions in which the children were found.

All four have pleaded not guilty to the child-endangerment allegations.

The case attracted widespread attention not only because of the number of children involved, but also because authorities said the family had remained largely out of public view.

The children were reportedly not enrolled in conventional schools, and questions have since emerged over how their circumstances went unnoticed for so long. One local reporter covering the case said even the oldest child had significant educational deficiencies, intensifying scrutiny of the systems surrounding the family.

Health problems previously led to his release

Siders Sr. is no longer being held in jail.

He was previously released because of significant physical health problems. Prosecutor Archer said at the time that keeping him incarcerated while providing the medical care he required could have placed an enormous financial burden on Vinton County.

Baum has declined to disclose where his client is currently staying because of safety concerns and threats directed toward him.

“We are not going to be discussing anything about his location,” Baum said, adding that he understood Siders to be somewhere safe and receiving appropriate treatment.

His health has now become central to whether the criminal prosecution can continue at all.

Prosecutors could dismiss charges or seek civil commitment

Because Siders has been found incompetent and “not restorable,” prosecutors now face a limited set of options.

Baum said he expects the state to decide within the coming weeks whether to dismiss the criminal charges or seek a civil commitment that could place Siders in a treatment facility.

The incompetency finding also makes it unlikely that Siders Sr. would testify if cases against the other defendants eventually reach trial, according to his attorney.

His legal situation is not expected to determine what happens to his co-defendants.

Christina Siders, Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders have separately been ordered to undergo competency evaluations at the requests of their attorneys. Elizabeth Siders is also being evaluated on the question of whether she could be found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Their cases therefore remain separate from the finding involving Gary Siders Sr.

For the 73-year-old grandfather, however, Wednesday’s ruling represents a major turning point.

Just months after the discovery of 16 children inside the Hamden residence triggered a sprawling investigation and multiple arrests, the criminal proceedings against one of the four original defendants may now be nearing an end — not because a jury reached a verdict, but because doctors concluded he may never be mentally capable of facing one.