‘HOUSE OF HORRORS’ GRANDFATHER DECLARED INCOMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL AFTER 16 CHILDREN WERE RESCUED FROM OHIO HOME

A 73-YEAR-OLD GRANDFATHER ACCUSED OF CHILD ENDANGERMENT WILL NOT FACE TRIAL FOR NOW — AFTER A MENTAL EVALUATION FOUND HIS CONDITION IS NOT EXPECTED TO IMPROVE.

Gary Siders Sr. was found mentally incompetent to stand trial Wednesday, Sept. 9, after a judge accepted the findings of a court-ordered mental evaluation.

The decision comes just over two months after authorities arrived at a rural Ohio home and discovered 16 children living in what officials described as deplorable conditions.

The children — ranging in age from just 18 months to 18 years — were removed from the property on June 30.

Siders, 73, is facing 16 counts of child endangerment, including felony and misdemeanor charges, in connection with the case.

But now, the legal proceedings against him could take a very different direction.

THE COURT HEARD HE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE CASE

Siders appeared in a Vinton County courtroom in a wheelchair as the judge considered the results of his mental evaluation.

His attorney, Dorian Baum, said afterward that Siders’ mental health had been declining for years and that his condition was considered “not restorable.”

Baum said the finding was not a surprise.

According to his attorney, Siders does not fully understand or appreciate what is happening in the criminal proceedings against him.

The Vinton County prosecutor did not challenge the evaluation’s findings.

Siders had previously been ordered to undergo the evaluation after his attorney raised concerns about his competency and whether he could understand the charges against him.

THEN CAME THE DISCOVERY OF 16 CHILDREN

The case began on June 30, when authorities executed a search warrant at a home in Hamden, Ohio, roughly 80 miles southeast of Columbus.

Inside, investigators found 16 children.

Authorities said many of the children had been living largely confined to a small room inside the home.

Officials described the conditions as extremely poor, and some of the children required medical treatment.

Two children were reportedly taken by helicopter to trauma centers because of the severity of their medical conditions.

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain also said some of the children had extremely limited communication abilities.

The children’s ages ranged from a toddler to an 18-year-old.

AUTHORITIES WERE SHOCKED BY WHAT THEY FOUND

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson previously described the conditions inside the home as “deplorable.”

Authorities also said some of the children appeared severely isolated from the outside world.

Investigators learned that the family had moved repeatedly over approximately two decades and that neighbors had reportedly seen very little of the children.

Officials said the children were not enrolled in school.

The shocking circumstances prompted authorities to remove all 16 children from the home and place them under the custody of Vinton County.

FOUR ADULTS WERE ARRESTED

Gary Siders Sr. was one of four adults arrested following the investigation.

The others were his wife, Christina Siders, his son, Gary Siders Jr., and his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, who is the mother of the 16 children.

All four initially pleaded not guilty and underwent competency evaluations.

While Gary Sr. was later released for medical reasons, his wife, son and daughter-in-law remain in custody, according to PEOPLE and the Associated Press.

The legal case against those three defendants is continuing.

WHAT HAPPENS TO GARY SIDERS SR. NOW?

Being declared incompetent does not mean a person has been found guilty or innocent.

Instead, the ruling means the court determined that Siders currently cannot adequately understand the proceedings or participate in his defense.

Because his evaluation concluded that his condition is not expected to become restorable, prosecutors and the defense must now determine what happens next.

Possible options include seeking dismissal of the criminal charges or pursuing a separate civil commitment process, according to reporting on the case.

For the 16 children, however, the story is far from over.

They have been placed in therapeutic foster care, with officials warning that they may need long-term support following what authorities described as a deeply traumatic upbringing.

Ohio has also provided $1 million in emergency funding to help Vinton County care for the children.

SIXTEEN CHILDREN. ONE HOME. AND QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN.

The discovery of 16 children inside the Ohio property shocked the community and drew national attention.

Now, the grandfather accused of endangering those children has been ruled incompetent to stand trial — potentially bringing his criminal case to an unexpected turning point.

But the larger investigation continues.

What happened inside that home for so many years?

And how did 16 children remain largely hidden from the outside world for so long?

Those are questions authorities and the courts are still working to answer.