16 children rescued from Ohio home were 'almost feral,' authorities say

HAMDEN, Ohio (AP) — Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday.

Some of the children discovered Tuesday were unable to speak and one — an 18-year-old who was developmentally disabled — could not even write her name, investigators said.

“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. “Just a disgusting scene.”

The children's parents and two grandparents were charged with felony child endangerment, a prosecutor said.

Authorities found the children while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday at a news conference.

Officials said it seemed as if no one outside the family knew about the children, who weren't enrolled in school.

“We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there,” said Wilson, who was nearly at a loss for words in describing what officials found in the tiny village of Hamden that sits in one of Ohio's poorest counties.

“It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America,” he said.

The sheriff said it appears the children spent most of their time in a room that was roughly 12 feet by 12 feet (3.5 meters by 3.5 meters). He didn’t disclose how the kids were kept inside the home, but said authorities didn’t find any cages in the house.

The children ranged in age from 1 1/2 years to 18 years old and included both boys and girls, officials said. Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus and two were flown by helicopter. One was in critical condition on Tuesday while some of the others were admitted for care, Wilson said.

“They looked like almost feral animals,” Wilson said. “It was terrible.”

The children were in temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said the four adults were charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.”

Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf and set bond at $300,000 for each. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.

Steve Irwin, a spokesperson for the attorney general's office, would not say whether all of the children are siblings or how they were related.

The house where the children were found sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through Hamden. The closest neighbors are separated by trees and thick brush, but the house is easily visible from the road.

An open door revealed bits of trash inside while a wooden deck and the backyard were filled with discarded tires, a high chair and other debris.

Investigators said members of the family had moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and that it looks like they avoided setting up medical and government records.

“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,” Wilson said.

Investigators were reviewing whether the family was reported to any children’s services agencies in the past.

Neighbor Joseph Stewart, 60, said he saw “no kids at all” since the family moved in three houses down and that he could clearly see the house and yard when passing by.

“It’s a sad situation,” he said. Stewart has lived on the street for six years and called it “a quiet neighborhood.”

On Wednesday, the home's doors and windows stood open to the sweltering heat. A tangle of discarded children’s items -- two busted bicycles, a plastic play table, a beach pail and two infant carriers -- stood in a pile in the yard.

Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.

The discovery of the children is reminiscent of past horrific cases of family abuse.

In 2019, David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children at their home in California, starving them and providing only a minimal education.

They were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The couple were arrested in 2018 after their 17-year-old daughter escaped from the home and called 911.

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, and Julie Watson in San Diego contributed.

Debris is seen inside a home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults in Hamden, Ohio, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

This combination of undated booking photos provided by Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, shows, clockwise starting at top left, Gary Siders Sr., Christine Siders, Elizabeth Siders and Gary Siders Jr. (Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail via AP)

Items are seen beyond police tape in a home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults in Hamden, Ohio, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Debris is strewn on the front lawn of a home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults in Hamden, Ohio, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Police tape and debris are seen at a home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults in Hamden, Ohio, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Police tape surrounds a home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults in Hamden, Ohio, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Police tape surrounds a home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults in Hamden, Ohio, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The dilapidated home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults remains blocked off by crime scene tape on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 in Hamden, Ohio. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

The dilapidated home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults remains blocked off by crime scene tape on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 in Hamden, Ohio. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

A sign marks the city's limits Wednesday, July 1, 2026 in Hamden, Ohio. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

The dilapidated home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults remains blocked off by crime scene tape on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 in Hamden, Ohio. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

This image taken from video released by the Office of Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson shows Wilson speaks during a press conference Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Office of Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson via AP)

MADRID (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday announced an early general election, seeking to seize momentum from housing protests that have roiled the country and frame the vote around issues that are favorable to his Socialist party.

The election is scheduled for ​Nov. ⁠29, and will come roughly eight months earlier than originally planned.

Spaniards have staged repeated protests in cities across the country in recent weeks, demanding action on the entrenched housing crisis amid outrage over the widely publicized eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid last month. Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Barcelona on Monday night.

Sánchez’s government suffered a bruising legislative defeat last week when right-wing opposition parties voted down emergency decrees introduced by his government to address evictions and real estate speculation. The setback sparked wide speculation that Sánchez would move forward the general election and use the momentum on the housing issue against his right-wing opponents.

If Sánchez's gamble backfires, it could pave the way for a right-wing coalition of conservatives and the far-right Vox party, bringing an end to one of Europe's most prominent progressive governments, led by a vocal critic of the Trump administration.

In an address to the nation, Sánchez argued that a broader progressive coalition in Parliament would allow Spain to tackle its biggest challenges.

“The time has come for the Spanish people to decide what future you want for yourselves and for your country,” Sánchez said.

“Whether you wish to join that far-right wave — which rolls back progress wherever it governs — or whether you want Spain to remain a bastion of openness, social justice, and environmental responsibility. Whether you want our country to move backward or continue moving forward,” he said.

Sánchez, 54, has been prime minister since 2018, making him one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders.

He has emerged as a leading progressive voice internationally through his defense of migration, his support for Palestinians and his criticism of the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. He has also defended multilateral institutions and called for regulation of artificial intelligence, speaking out against “tech oligarchs.”

Under his leadership, Spain has had one of the fastest growing economies in the developed world in recent years.

But a series of legal cases involving his party as well as his wife and his brother have damaged the prime minister's standing. His wife and brother deny wrongdoing.

He has also struggled to account for this summer’s border crossing by tens of thousands of mostly Moroccans into Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta, where a humanitarian crisis remains two months after the initial border crossing.

He has led a coalition minority government along with the left-wing junior partner Sumar since 2023. But his reliance on several smaller parties to get anything done has hamstrung his legislative ability.

Throughout his political career, Sánchez has earned a reputation as a political escape artist capable of winning elections he appeared set to lose.

Speculation around whether he would announce snap elections centered on the momentum that his party may now have around housing and public services, while the opposition Popular Party — which holds the most seats in Parliament already — is likely to define the contest around corruption and the ruling government's mismanagement of the Ceuta crisis.

Opinion polls suggest the Popular Party and Vox could together win enough support to oust Sánchez. It remains unclear how strongly housing will motivate voters on either side.

“Sánchez is choosing this moment because it is arguably the best time to do so, given that the issue of housing frames the electoral conflict or debate in terms that are highly favorable to (his party's) position,” said Oriol Bartomeus, a political-science professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

“Sánchez can frame the election — or has realized he can frame it — in very classic left-versus-right terms,” Bartomeus said.

Sánchez will face Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who aims to take control of the government.

“At last, the Spanish people will decide,” Feijóo said on Monday after the election announcement. “These are not elections like previous ones in our democracy. This is about Spain defeating Sánchez and what he represents,” he said.

Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.

Tens of thousands march protesting the housing situation in Spain, just hours after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced an early general election, in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Tens of thousands march protesting the housing situation in Spain, just hours after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced an early general election, in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

People seen through a window inside a bar in La Cabrera, on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, watch a televised speech by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez from La Moncloa Palace announcing national elections, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

People at a bar in La Cabrera, on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, watch a televised speech by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez from La Moncloa Palace announcing national elections, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

FILE - A partially damaged poster of Spanish Prime Minister and Socialist Party candidate Pedro Sanchez flaps in Parla, on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, April 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

FILE - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ by Pope Leo XIV at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

FILE - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez poses for a portrait after an interview with The Associated Press at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, June 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, left, applauds at the Spanish parliament in Madrid, Friday Oct. 2, 2026. (Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via AP)

People demonstrate to demand stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. The banner reads in Spanish: toward the general strike. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)

People demonstrate to demand stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)

People hold up keys as a sign of protest during a demonstration demanding stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrives at the Spanish parliament in Madrid, Friday Oct. 2, 2026. (Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via AP)