By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-10-06 20:06:46 | Updated at 2026-10-06 22:16:37
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An Ohio grandfather has had charges dropped in a “house of horrors” case where 16 “almost feral” children were found to be living in horrible conditions.
A Vinton County judge’s decision to dismiss the case against Gary Siders Sr., 73 – who previously faced 10 felony and six misdemeanor child endangerment charges – was handed down after a psychologist found him mentally incompetent to stand trial, according to court documents.
Authorities in the rural southern Ohio county of 13,000 people warned that his required medical care could bankrupt the entire local government.
Because his case was dismissed without prejudice, the charges against him could be refiled at a later date.
The senior will remain in the court’s jurisdiction until a civil commitment is filed in county probate court, the docs state.
Siders Sr. was hospitalized in July after he fell while being transported from jail to a preliminary court hearing in the sickening child abuse case, Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said during a news conference at the time.
Based on medical test results, it was determined “that Mr. Siders Sr. has a serious medical condition that requires specialized care in a hospital outside this area,” said Archer, who didn’t disclose the nature of the condition or the facility he was taken to.
Up until that point, Siders Sr. had been held in a county jail on $300,000 cash bond; along with his wife Christina Sanders, 67; 36-year-old son Gary Siders Jr.; and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, 33.
Follow the latest on the Ohio “House of Horrors” where 16 children were found:
- Grandpa accused in Ohio house of horrors case has charges dropped after local authorities fretted his medical care could bankrupt them
- Ohio ‘house of horrors’ mom Elizabeth Siders looks pregnant, cradles belly in court as lawyer cites lack of postpartum care
- Grandpa whose 16 grandchildren found living in Ohio house of horrors is found incompetent to stand trial
- Uncle of 16 kids rescued from Ohio house of horrors charged with sex abuse — alongside their disgraced parents
The relatives collectively faced 68 felony child endangerment charges after authorities allegedly found all 16 children suffering serious physical harm inside the home on June 30.
But when defendants are held inside county jail, their medical bills fall on taxpayers – which is why prosecutors agreed to let Siders Sr. be released from lockup on his own recognizance in July.
“So the county was going to be on the hook for his medical care and…based on the information we were provided, his medical care could potentially bankrupt Vinton County,” Archer explained.
In order to alleviate that “burden,” he continued, the attorneys and judge involved in the case decided to change the ailing man’s bond conditions.
Siders Sr.’s updated bond conditions were handed down in order to ensure he gets medical treatment — just not on the county’s dime, said Archer.
It wasn’t clear who would ultimately be responsible for the sky-high medical bills.
