‘A persistent crisis’: the 16 children removed from an Ohio family are part of a statewide issue

In June 2025, South Central Ohio Job and Family Services faced a challenging situation, as reported by Jody Walker, the agency's director. The organization often encountered children without a safe place to stay. In June, 16 children were discovered in a neglected home near Hamden, a town close to Walker's workplace. Several of these children were found near death; two were taken to a specialized medical facility, with one placed in an intensive care unit.

Gary Siders and Christina Siders, the children's grandparents, and Gary Siders II and Elizabeth Siders, their parents, faced charges of 16 counts of child endangerment. Elizabeth Siders was additionally charged with sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. All four accused pleaded not guilty. Experts argue that Ohio's political and administrative authorities have a persistent crisis in identifying suitable, affordable, and accessible placements for at-risk children.

The cost of residential and group home care has risen by more than 65% since 2020, while paid placement costs have increased by 41% in the same period. Despite a rise in state spending on children's services from 10% to 20% over the past eight years, it still remains below the national average of 42%. In Vinton County, a region with fewer than 13,000 residents, the family services department is grappling with the estimated $200 per child per day expense for the care of the 16 Siders children, who are now in foster care.

Six of the children are twins aged four or younger. Law enforcement stumbled upon the children's situation while serving arrest warrants on Gary Siders II and Elizabeth Siders for unrelated charges. The Siders family's financial disclosure revealed that Elizabeth Siders had no income, and her husband's monthly salary was only $1,500 in 2021.

The Siders case highlights the struggles faced by Ohio in funding care for vulnerable children, a situation not unique to the state. Across the nation, cuts to various supports, including food benefits for 1 million children, are underway. The Trump administration's 2027 federal budget proposes cuts to nutrition programs for women and children, home energy assistance for low-income families, a $6 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health, and the elimination of a federal preschool development grant program.

Ohio's Republican-controlled state legislature has seen higher risks for children compared to states governed by Democrats. The Siders children, who suffered from high levels of lead, witnessed a significant decrease in funding for a lead abatement program from $7.5 million to $250,000 a year under Republican lawmakers. The attorney general's office has declined to comment on questions regarding the state's responsibility towards the Siders children.