Sixteen children from the same family were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio, where they were living in deplorable conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said.

Conditions Described as ‘Disgusting’

Some of the children discovered were unable to speak and one — an 18-year-old who was developmentally disabled — could not even write her name, investigators said. Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described the scene as ‘disgusting’ and said ‘most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children.’

The children’s parents and two grandparents were charged with felony child endangerment, a prosecutor said. Authorities found the children while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said.

The children ranged in age from 1 1/2 to 18 years old and included both boys and girls, officials said. Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus and two were flown by helicopters. One was in critical condition, Wilson said.

The attorney general called the scene the worst he had ever encountered in his career, describing what he found as ‘pure evil.’ ‘Justice will be served for these children,’ he said.

Family Charged with Child Endangerment

Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court, where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.

Investigators said members of the family had moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and that it looks like they avoided setting up medical and government records. ‘These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,’ Wilson said.

Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.