A 73-year-old Ohio grandfather accused of child endangerment after 16 children were found living in squalid conditions has been deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial.
Gary Siders Sr appeared in court in a wheelchair on Wednesday, with his attorney Dorian Baum telling the judge that his client's mental health has been declining for years and is “not restorable,” reports The Express.
Baum said: “It’s not really a surprise to any of us that he’s not been found competent at this point. He doesn’t fully understand or appreciate what’s going on.”
Children found in 'pure evil' conditions
The children, whose ages ranged from 18 years to 18 months, were found by police in a property in rural southern Ohio. They were described as living "feral" and "like livestock," with the home reportedly "covered in human waste."
The youngsters were rescued from the property in June after officers discovered the children weren't enrolled in school, the family had moved around over the past two decades, and neighbours said they had never seen the kids.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described the shocking conditions the children were found in as 'pure evil'.
Family members plead not guilty
Siders was charged with 16 counts of child endangerment related to the children, who were rescued on June 30 from the home in Hamden, about 80 miles (129 kilometres) south of Columbus.
Siders' wife, Christina Siders; son Gary Siders Jr; and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, the children's mother, have pleaded not guilty.
The children were as old as 18, with the youngest only 18 months old. They were described as 'feral' when they were discovered, with some unable to speak.
Court records show that the eldest child was born in May 2008, two months after Gary Siders Jr, then 18, and Elizabeth, then 15, crossed into West Virginia to marry at the Mason County Courthouse with her parents' consent. Since then, Elizabeth has been pregnant most years.
