Newly released Gallia County court records show that the parents of several children at the center of the Vinton County child endangerment case were previously investigated by Gallia County's child welfare agency over concerns about the children's health, education, and significant developmental delays that were exhibited when the children attended online schooling.
Elizabeth Siders, 33, and Gary Siders Jr, 36, have both been charged in connection with a sprawling child endangerment investigation launched by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Gary's parents, Christina Siders, 67, and Gary Siders, 73, have also been charged in connection with the case. Deputies who executed a search warrant in late June
at their rented Hamden home in Vinton County found 16 children belonging to Elizabeth and Gary Siders II in deplorable conditions.
The court documents released from Gallia County reveal that the family became the subject of a child welfare investigation in December 2020 after a physician reported that four of the children had high levels of lead in their system, the documents show. A social worker conducting a home visit also noted that the home where the family resided in Cheshire had "a high population" of roaches, gnats, and flies, according to the records. There were also two incidents where Elizabeth and Gary refused to allow the social worker entry into the house or into the upstairs portion of the house to see the children.
After finally seeing the children, the social worker noted in her report that the teeth of one of the children were not in good condition, and that one of the Siders' daughters, a 5-year-old, could not speak "any clear language." One of the children also had visible insect bites and scratches, and the social worker noticed that Elizabeth and Gary were "always in the same clothing and do not have consistent hygiene, nor do the children."
Gallia County Children's Services filed neglect and dependency complaints against the parents in January 2021. At a hearing later that month, the court found "reasonable grounds to believe the children were at risk from their surroundings."
Instead of removing the children, the court ordered protective supervision by the Gallia County Department of Job and Family Services. In February 2021, the court also ruled that the children were "dependent" under the Ohio Revised Code, meaning that the children required intervention by the state to protect their welfare.
In March 2021, Elizabeth and Gary agreed to a court-approved case plan, although details of that plan were not provided in the documents provided by Gallia County. At a review hearing in May 2021, the court said that the parents had made "significant progress on their case plan," but they still needed to follow up with medical appointments for the four children.
The court terminated the protective supervision, and the cases were closed on June 15, 2021, according to the court records.
After the children were rescued from the home in Vinton County, the state approved $1 million in emergency funds for Vinton County to help care for the 16 children. The 16 children, ranging in age from 18-month-old twins to an 18-year-old female, are in foster care and are expected to require extensive treatment for physical and mental health issues, according to state officials. The money is for their short-term needs.
Several of the Siders children were below grade level, had developmental delays
In an earlier investigation, Gallia County Children's Services (GCCS) filed complaints in March 2020 after it was revealed that at least six of the children had educational and developmental delays and were below their grade level.
One of the Siders' children, a 7-year-old, enrolled in Ohio Virtual Academy, but had no prior formal schooling and had "significant" developmental delays, according to the documents. Another child didn't participate in virtual schooling and ultimately was withdrawn from the class, and several of the children performed below grade level and had attendance concerns, according to the documents.
GCCS accused Elizabeth and Gary of being unable or unwilling to address the children's educational, developmental, or mental health needs, according to the documents. In April 2020, both parents admitted that the children were dependent but remained in the parents' custody while under GCCS supervision.
In May 2020, the parents agreed to a case plan proposed by GCCS. None of the children were removed from the parents' custody. While the plan was not provided in the court documents, part of it required Elizabeth and Gary taking parenting classes, which the court said had been completed in August 2020. The plan also appears to have mentioned obtaining appropriate housing, but other evaluations that were required were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the records.
On Oct. 22, 2020, the Gallia County case was ultimately closed. Judge Thomas Moulton ordered that the children remain with their parents and terminated the protective supervision.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Siders family investigated in Gallia County over children's health, education
