An Ohio woman whose 16 children were removed from a home authorities described as being in appalling condition held her stomach during a court appearance as she entered not-guilty pleas in the case.
Elizabeth Siders, 34, appeared before a judge Wednesday on four child sexual abuse counts and 19 child endangerment charges, according to FOX 8.
Wearing an orange jail uniform, Siders repeatedly placed her hands over and held her abdomen while standing in court, The Daily Mail reported.
News Media contacted her attorney, Thomas Stolly, seeking comment on the allegations and on whether Siders may be pregnant again.
Elizabeth Siders, 34, holds her stomach while appearing for her arraignment Wednesday in Vinton County Common Pleas Court in Ohio. Authorities said they discovered 16 children in a small Hamden home while conducting a child sexual abuse investigation, leading to child endangerment and other charges against Siders, her husband and her in-laws. (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)
“We have an individual in Elizabeth who was married at age 15, who has essentially been pregnant for the better part of two decades,” Stolly told local media. “Who has never fully gone through any postpartum period, who has not been receiving regular medical care that would be appropriate for someone who has had 16, 18 children.
“I have concerns about what effects those have had on her.”
Elizabeth Siders, her husband, Gary Siders Jr., and his parents, Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders, are facing child endangerment and related charges after investigators found 16 children during a search of the home. (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)
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Siders and Gary Siders Jr. are also accused of sexually abusing a minor in 2022. The alleged victim was not one of the 16 children found at the residence, the report said.
The child, however, was under the couple’s care when the alleged abuse took place. Gary Siders Jr. has pleaded not guilty as well, though he was ruled incompetent to stand trial last week.
Siders and her husband have been ordered to have no contact.
On Wednesday, a judge deemed Elizabeth Siders a flight risk and raised her bail from $250,000 to $550,000.
Elizabeth Siders, 34, appears for an arraignment in Vinton County Common Pleas Court in Ohio Wednesday. (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)
In July, investigators said they found the children — ranging in age from 17 months to 18 years old — living in deplorable conditions inside a home in Hamden.
They were initially investigating child sexual abuse allegations regarding Siders’ extended family members — Brandon Henderson, the longtime partner of Gary Siders Jr.’s sister, and Joshua Saunders, a cousin of the 16 rescued children, the FOX 8 report states.