{"success":true,"data":{"id":"748db9a0-c80c-4eff-be6d-e6eda723aa2b","title":"Ohio county struggling to care for 16 siblings rescued from squalor amid ‘unprecedented child welfare crisis’","summary":"Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Not now Yes please US Edition Change Support Now × \"Clear search box\") Custom Search Sort by Relevance Date NewsNews World CupWorld Cup SportsSports CultureCulture LifestyleLifestyle MoneyMon...","content":"## Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent\n\nNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.\n\nNot now Yes please\n\nUS Edition Change\n\nSupport Now\n\n[×](javascript:void(0) \"Clear search box\")\n\nCustom Search\n\nSort by\n\nRelevance\n\nDate\n\n*   News[News](https://www.independent.co.uk/us)\n\n*   World Cup[World Cup](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup)\n\n*   Sports[Sports](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport)\n\n*   Culture[Culture](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment)\n\n*   Lifestyle[Lifestyle](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style)\n\n*   Money[Money](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money)\n\n*   Travel[Travel](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/travel)\n\n*   Premium[Premium](https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium)\n\nMore\n\nMore\n\n### Thank you for registering\n\nPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in\n\n# Ohio county struggling to care for 16 siblings rescued from squalor amid ‘unprecedented child welfare crisis’\n\n## The local prosecutor said the cost of medical care required for one of the defendants alone would have bankrupted Vinton County\n\n[Julie Carr Smyth](https://www.independent.co.uk/author/julie-carr-smyth)&[Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos](https://www.independent.co.uk/author/patrick-aftoora-orsagos-0)Friday 10 July 2026 16:47 EDT\n\n*   Copy link  \n*   Bookmark  \n\n## Bookmark popover\n\nRemoved from bookmarks\n\nClose popover\n\nClose\n\nPowered By\n\n10 Sec\n\n3.4K\n\n0\n\nScene of home on Ohmer Street in Hamden, Ohio\n\nNext video in\n\nNext\n\nKEEP WATCHING\n\nThe Ohio county where [16 siblings were rescued from squalid conditions](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/elizabeth-siders-ohio-children-hamden-vinton-county-arrests-b3007065.html)is struggling to care for the children and prosecute their parents and two grandparents.\n\nThe state has labeled the situation “an unprecedented child welfare crisis” as the tiny rural county’s resources grow increasingly strained.\n\nThe local prosecutor said the cost of medical care required for one of the defendants alone would have bankrupted Vinton County. That led the court to change the grandfather's bond and release him from jail on his own recognizance for care at a hospital so the county didn't have to pay for it.\n\nMeanwhile, the county sought help from other prosecutors on the criminal case and is counting on approval next week of $1 million from the state to assist with care for the children, including some who have medical needs or are unable to speak.\n\nopen image in gallery\n\nSixteen children were rescued from a home in rural Hamden, Ohio, after police found them living in squalor(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)\n\nVinton is Ohio's smallest county and one of its poorest, a rambling 415 square miles (1075 square kilometers) of isolated Appalachian terrain with one traffic light and a single grocery store.\n\n## One defendant was released to avoid more costs\n\nOn Tuesday, 73-year-old Gary Siders Sr. was released from jail after his bond was adjusted to not require up-front payment, and he was moved out of the county for medical care.\n\nVinton County Prosecutor William Archer Jr. said Siders had fallen at the jail and it became apparent that he “has a serious medical condition that requires specialized care.” In the regional jail, the costs of that care would fall on the county, Archer said.\n\n“Based on the information the county was provided, his medical care could potentially bankrupt Vinton County,” Archer told reporters Wednesday. “We were not going to put that burden also on our local taxpayers.”\n\nSiders is charged with felony child endangerment. Also charged were his 67-year-old wife, Christina Siders; son Gary Siders Jr., 36; and daughter-in-law, 33-year-old Elizabeth Siders, the children's mother. They have pleaded not guilty, and some of their attorneys cautioned against drawing conclusions before more is known about what happened.","source_name":"The Independent","source_url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/siders-children-ohio-hamden-b3012949.html","url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/siders-children-ohio-hamden-b3012949.html","author":"Julie Carr Smyth and Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos","author_name":"Julie Carr Smyth and Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos","published_at":"2026-07-10T20:47:11.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-10T20:47:11.000Z","image_url":"https://pl.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?hash=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&stnaInterval=0","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":3,"word_count":530,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot"}}