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An Ohio mother of 16 children who were rescued from a home where they allegedly lived in horrific conditions cradled her stomach while in court, where she pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the charges against her.
Elizabeth Siders, 34, who faces four counts of child sexual abuse and 19 counts of child endangerment, appeared in court, FOX 8 reported.
While in front of the judge, Siders, who was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, kept shielding her stomach and clutched her belly, The Daily Mail reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to her attorney, Thomas Stolly, for comment on the charges against his client, as well as whether she is once again pregnant.
OHIO MOM ARRESTED FOR HAVING 16 KIDS IN ‘EVIL’ LIVING CONDITIONS WANTS TO BE REUNITED WITH CHILDREN: LAWYER
Elizabeth Siders, 34, touches her stomach as she appears for an arraignment in Vinton County Common Pleas Court in Ohio on Wednesday. Siders, along with her husband and in-laws, is facing child endangerment and other charges after authorities said they found 16 children while searching a small Hamden home in connection with a child sexual abuse investigation. (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,” he added.
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Elizabeth Siders and her husband, Gary Siders Jr., and his parents, Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders, face child endangerment and other charges after officials found 16 children while searching a home. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Siders and her husband, Gary Siders Jr., are accused of sexual abuse against a minor in 2022. The alleged victim is not among the 16 children, the news report states.
However, the child was in the care of the couple at the time the alleged abuse occurred. Gary Siders Jr. has also pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, but was found 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.
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Elizabeth Siders, 34, appears for an arraignment in Vinton County Common Pleas Court in Ohio on Wednesday. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
In July, investigators found the children — ranging in age from 17 months to 18 years old — living in deplorable conditions inside a home in Hamden.
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They were initially investigating child sexual abuse allegations regarding Siders’s 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.