Judge: Grandfather of 16 children removed from Vinton County home in June is not competent to stand trial

A judge has ruled that the grandfather of 16 children removed from a Vinton County home in June is not competent to stand trial.

Gary Siders Sr., 73, was indicted last month on 10 felony counts of endangering children and six misdemeanor counts of endangering children.

He appeared in a wheelchair before Vinton County Common Pleas Court Judge Laina Fetherolf Rogers on Wednesday, Sept. 9, for a competency hearing. According to reports, a forensic examiner evaluated his mental competency and testified.

The Associated Press reported that Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer did not oppose the finding.

Siders is the only one charged in the case who has been released, apparently because of a medical condition that necessitated his hospitalization. His son-in-law told WOWK-TV in Charleston, West Virginia, that Siders had a stroke in recent years.

According to News Nation, Siders’ attorney, Dorian Baum, told reporters, “the prosecution against him is very likely coming to a very quick end.”

“If he wasn’t aware of what was going on, that certainly seemed to indicate that he may not have been a part of much of anything,” Baum added, per the report. “And despite what people want to prognosticate about or go online or make statements about, that’s not the law. That’s not reality, that’s not facts.”

Siders’ wife, Christina Siders, 68, along with his son, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, 34, have also been indicted in relation to the case. They pleaded not guilty, but have also asked for hearings to determine whether they are competent to stand trial.

The four were arrested in June after authorities removed 16 children ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old from the house. Subsequent reports revealed that Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders also had twins who died in 2022 shortly after they were born.

Authorities previously said the case began when they opened an investigation into the parents in March, looking into allegations of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Authorities said that investigation led to a June 30 search warrant at a residence on Ohmer Street in Hamden, where the 16 kids were discovered.

Authorities told various outlets that the Siders family has lived in multiple Ohio counties since 2008. Their current house, located roughly 80 miles southeast of Columbus, was apparently part of the trust of a woman who died in April 2025.