Elizabeth Siders, 33, faces 16 counts of alleged child endangerment after 16 kids were rescued from the Ohio home, but she could now avoid trial as a judge has agreed to a competency hearing.
Elizabeth siders will undergo insanity and competency evaluations(Image: screengrab)
The mother of 16 children rescued from appalling conditions in an Ohio home could avoid trial as a judge has granted her a competency hearing.
Elizabeth, 33, was after her children were discovered living in “deplorable” conditions inside a “disgusting” home in Hamden, a tiny village in southeastern Ohio. Detectives claimed the children had been kept in a cramped room like “feral animals” for years.
The mother was. Elizabeth’s lawyer, Thomas J. Stolly, requested a competency evaluation last week as he claimed the 33-year-old could be struggling with “significant mental health issues.”
Elizabeth Siders to undergo insanity and competency evaluations
A judge granted the request on Monday, and Elizabeth will now be examined for both insanity and competency.
Elizabeth could avoid trial if she is found to be incompetent or legally insane
The insanity evaluation will determine whether the mother was legally insane at the time of the alleged crimes. If she is found to have been legally insane, the judge could find her not guilty and the case against her would end.
The competency evaluation is different, it will determine whether she is currently competent to stand trial. To be competent she would need to be capable of understanding the case against her and participating in her defense.
If she is found incompetent, the criminal proceedings against her will be paused. She would likely be taken to a mental health facility for “competency restoration” treatment and if she regained mental competency, the trial could move forward.
If she does not, the charges against her could be dismissed. Stolly had already requested a recognizance bond that would allow Elizabeth to leave jail under certain conditions as he revealed she wished to reunite with her children.
“Through conversations with Counsel, the Defendant maintains that her principal desire is to reunite with her children; she understands that reunification of any sort is an impossibility if she does not appear before this Court,” that court filing reads.
He complained that it would be impossible for her to pay the $300,000 bond she’s been issued.
Elizabeth siders married at 15 and had first child two months later
Elizabeth Siders’ lawyer said she could be struggling with mental health issues(Image: Doral Chenoweth/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
As the shocking Ohio house of horrors case captured national attention, it emerged that Elizabeth was just 15 years old when she wed then-18-year-old Gary Siders Jr.
Records reveal that a West Virginia judge approved the marriage in 2008. Just two months after the wedding, the couple welcomed their first child.
The marriage is not entirely a legal shock, according to West Virginia family law attorney Amanda Alexander, since at the time “there was no age minimum to marry in West Virginia.” Simply put, 15-year-old Elizabeth was permitted to marry Gary Siders Jr. with her parents’ consent.
“The judge absolutely could have stopped this marriage,” Alexander notes. Nevertheless, the law did not obligate the state to scrutinize the relationship or the union.
For Alexander, the issue of a minor entering into marriage isn’t straightforward. She indicates that before permitting anyone under 18 to wed, she would need additional details from the couple and their families.
Elizabeth was arrested along with her husband, Siders Jr., her father-in-law, Gary Siders Sr., and her mother-in-law, Christina Siders. (Image: Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail)
“I would want to know the relationship between the two. I’d want to appoint a guardian ad litem to interview the bride separately,” she said.
Since the Siders wed in West Virginia, the legislation has been updated. Presently, the minimum marriage age is 16, requiring parental and court approval, and the age difference between partners cannot exceed 4 years.
Notably, there remains no mandate for a court inquiry.
Disturbing conditions 16 children were found in
Detectives have revealed disturbing details about the conditions the Siders’ children were found in. Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain reported the home showed evidence of human excrement and believes the 16 children were confined in a 12ft by 12ft room for roughly four years.
The suspected abuse reached such severe levels, the sheriff noted, that some of the younger children could barely communicate and possessed “limited” speech. “Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” Cain said at a news conference.
Detectives said the children had been living like ‘feral animals’
Meanwhile, disturbed by what he had witnessed, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said he couldn’t get the smell of the home “away from me,” characterizing the scenes as “pure evil.” The children were transported to the hospital.
Several were found in critical condition and required hospitalization, while others were evaluated and discharged. Two of the children were transferred to trauma centers due to the severity of their injuries.
None of the children had ever been enrolled in school, and the oldest was unable to spell her own name. She was described as developmentally disabled.
A Vinton County judge entered not guilty pleas on behalf of all four defendants. Each was held on a $300,000 bond and barred from contacting one another or their children.
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