A Hamden mother of 16 children removed from a home that investigators described as having horrific living conditions pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of child sexual abuse and child endangerment.
Elizabeth Siders, 34, faces four counts of child sexual abuse and 19 counts of child endangerment. She appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit and repeatedly cradled and clutched her stomach during the proceeding, according to FOX 8 and The Daily Mail.
Her attorney, Thomas Stolly, addressed her circumstances with local media, saying, “We have an individual in Elizabeth who was married at age 15, who has essentially been pregnant for the better part of two decades. 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,” Stolly said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Stolly for comment on the charges and on whether Siders is currently pregnant again, but no response has been reported.
Charges tied to a 2022 allegation
Siders and her husband, Gary Siders Jr., are accused of sexually abusing a minor in 2022. That alleged victim is not one of the 16 children who were removed from the home, but the child was in the couple’s care at the time of the alleged abuse.
Gary Siders Jr. has also pleaded not guilty to charges against him, but a court found him incompetent to stand trial last week. A judge has ordered that Elizabeth Siders and her husband have no contact with each other.
On Wednesday, the judge also ruled that Elizabeth Siders poses a flight risk and increased her bail from $250,000 to $550,000.
Investigation began with extended family
The case became public in July, when investigators said they found 16 children, ranging in age from 17 months to 18 years old, living in deplorable conditions inside the Hamden home.
According to FOX 8, investigators had initially been looking into child sexual abuse allegations involving members of Siders’ extended family — Brandon Henderson, the longtime partner of Gary Siders Jr.’s sister, and Joshua Saunders, a cousin of the 16 rescued children. That inquiry led investigators to the conditions inside the Siders home.
