Ohio ‘House of Horrors’ Mom Elizabeth Siders Fit for Trial
The Ohio mother at the heart of a disturbing “house of horrors” investigation is expecting another child, months after authorities allegedly found her 16 children living in filthy, locked conditions.
Elizabeth Siders, 34, appeared in Vinton County court Monday for a competency hearing. She was arrested in June and charged with 19 counts of child endangerment, two counts of sexual battery and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Siders denied being pregnant when she was booked into the county jail. However, her attorney, Thomas Stolly, confirmed Monday that she is expecting, WOUB reported.
Stolly did not disclose the pregnancy’s due date or provide additional information.
The judge determined that Siders is competent to stand trial. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to her attorney, an initial evaluation found that Siders experiences depression and anxiety but has no documented history of mental illness.
Stolly has asked the court to order another evaluation to determine whether Siders could be found not guilty by reason of insanity. The motion says she may have been experiencing a condition that met the legal standard for insanity when the alleged offenses occurred, according to People.
In court filings, Stolly said he had spent significant time with Siders on “numerous occasions,” giving him an opportunity to observe her demeanor, behavior and ability to understand what was happening.
He wrote that she “may be suffering from significant mental health issues” and suggested that questions about her competency could interfere with her ability to help prepare her defense.
Siders’ husband, Gary Siders Jr., faces the same charges and is also undergoing a competency evaluation. A hearing in his case has not yet been scheduled.
About an hour before the judge ruled on Siders’ competency, the same court determined that her mother-in-law, Christina Siders, was not competent to stand trial, WOUB reported.
Christina Siders’ psychological evaluation indicated that she might eventually regain competency, and the court will send her to an inpatient treatment facility.
The evaluation also identified possible signs of dementia. Her attorney is seeking court funding for an additional assessment by a specialist.
The latest decisions came after prosecutors dismissed the case against Christina Siders’ husband, Gary Siders Sr., last month when he was found incompetent to stand trial.
That dismissal was made without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could bring the charges again in the future.
Gary Siders Sr. will remain under the court’s supervision until a civil commitment proceeding is filed in county probate court.
All four adults were arrested in June. Each initially faced 16 felony counts of child endangerment after investigators said the 16 children—believed to be the couple’s—had been confined in a 12-by-12-foot room inside a house that smelled strongly of cat urine.
The children, ranging in age from 1 to 18, were reportedly kept in the cramped room for at least four years. Authorities described the home’s conditions as “deplorable” and “third-world,” while characterizing the children as “almost feral.”
