Ohio man who was living in squalor with his 16 grandchildren declared mentally incompetent to stand trial

September 9, 2026 / 7:40 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A man whose 16 grandchildren were discovered living in squalid conditions at a rural southern Ohio home in late June was found mentally incompetent to stand trial Wednesday.

A judge in Vinton County accepted the findings of an evaluation report for Gary Siders Sr., and Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer did not object to the findings.

The 73-year-old Siders appeared in court in a wheelchair. His attorney, Dorian Baum, said after the hearing that Siders' mental health has been declining for years and is "not restorable."

"It's not really a surprise to any of us that he's not been found competent at this point," Baum said. "He doesn't fully understand or appreciate what's going on."

Siders was charged with 16 counts of child endangerment related to the children, who were rescued June 30 from a home in Hamden about 80 miles south of Columbus.

Siders' wife, Christina Siders; son, Gary Siders Jr., and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, the children's mother, have pleaded not guilty.

Authorities found the children on June 30 while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation. Investigators said the children remained mostly confined to a small room…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/