Two men charged with sexual abuse alongside the Ohio parents of 16 almost feral kids were the reason cops were tipped off to the squalid living conditions inside the house of horrors, according to prosecutors.
Josh Saunders, 23, and Brandon Henderson Sr., 40, were arrested and indicted — alongside Gary Siders Jr., and Elizabeth Siders — on sex abuse charges by a jury in Vinton County Friday.
Henderson was hit with 21 charges related to endangering children, while Saunders was hit with three counts of rape and one of gross sexual imposition.
Authorities have not said who the victims were, but they have confirmed they are minors, according to NBC4.
A probe into allegations of child sex abuse in December led to charges for Saunders and Henderson, according to prosecutors. But it also kickstarted a probe into the Siders, which led to the shocking discovery of the horrific conditions at the home.
Public records show that at least Henderson has a familial relationship with the infamous Siders family.
The outlet reported that Henderson is the uncle of the 16 children rescued by authorities on June 30 from the Hamden house of horrors — after he married another member of the Siders clan, Virginia.
Virginia, the sister of Gary Jr., was also married to a man also named Joshua D. Saunders, 42, who has been in jail since 2009 on murder charges, though it’s unclear what his relationship is with the younger Saunders.
The relationship between the younger Saunders and the Siders family was not immediately clear.
The Siders couple were hit with sexual abuse charges Friday for the alleged mistreatment of a minor more than 10 years younger than them between January and September 2022, according to prosecutors.
The minor was not a member of the family, prosecutors said.
The Gary and Elizabeth Siders were both charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, as well as sexual battery charges.
