Elizabeth Siders − an Ohio child bride who is charged with child endangerment, delivered four consecutive sets of twins in just 24 months.
Siders, who married at age 15 as a high school freshman, got pregnant every 15 months on average. Between May 2008 and January 2025, Siders gave birth to 18 childrenthrough 14 pregnancies, the last four of which were twins.
What are the odds of that happening? It's difficult to say because there are multiple variables, some of which aren't publicly known.
Twins occur in 3% to 4% of pregnancies but there are factors that can increase those percentages. Previous pregnancies, race, being overweight, and age can all play a role. She had at least 10 previous pregnancies, all singletons.
Twins are more common as women
age. The twin birth rate for women 40 and older is 7%. Siders delivered her twins between age 29 and 32.
Fraternal twins are also more likely if a close relative, such as a sister, has had fraternal twins. We don't know if Siders' relatives have had twins.
Types of twins
Fraternal twins, which account for two-thirds of twins, occur when two eggs are fertilized in the same menstrual cycle and implant in the womb.
Identical twins occur when a single egg is fertilized and then divides into two. They share the same DNA and are always the same sex. Identical twins don't run in families, and everyone has about a 1 in 250 chance of having identical twins.
Conjoined twinshappen when identical twin embryos don’t fully split after fertilization. They are physically fused together. The chances of having conjoined twins are 1 in 50,000.
According to birth certificates, Elizabeth Sidersdelivered:
- Boy and another baby in February 2022 (Birth certificate of the second infant was not available.)
- Conjoined girls in November 2022, who did not survive
- Boy and girl in January 2024
- Two boys in January 2025
The birth certificates do not specify if the twins are fraternal or identical. But conjoined twins are always identical and twins who aren't the same sex are always fraternal.
The Siders case
On June 30, Vinton County Sheriff's deputies and agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrived at a small rental house in Hamden to arrest Gary Siders Jr. for misdemeanor public indecency. Officers found 16 children held in a 12-by-12-foot room and the house littered with trash and feces.
The children were rushed to hospitals for emergency medical care, including two who were airlifted to Level I trauma centers.
Gary Jr., Elizabeth as well as Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders were arrested and charged with felony child endangerment. They have each pleaded not guilty and requested mental competency exams.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mom in Vinton County abuse case had 4 sets of twins. How rare is that?
