Authorities in Hamden, Ohio, have discovered 16 children living in a squalid home, prompting an investigation into the family’s living conditions. The children, ranging in age from 1 1/2 to 18 years old, were found in a small room with deplorable conditions, including human waste.
Investigation Underway
Four adult relatives, including the children’s parents and grandparents, have been arrested on child endangerment charges. The family had moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades, avoiding detection by authorities and avoiding creation of a medical or governmental paper trail.
The children were not enrolled in school, and neighbors reported never seeing them. The family’s ability to hide the children for so long has raised questions about how this could have happened in a small town like Hamden.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described the conditions as ‘terrible’ and said the children ‘looked like almost feral animals.’ Seven of the children were taken to hospitals, including one who was in critical condition.
Community Reaction
Neighbors and local business owners have expressed shock and sadness at the discovery. Emily Collins, owner of VC Farm & Floral in nearby McArthur, said, ‘It’s just crazy that all the wonderful things going on in our little Hallmark town and this is what puts us on the radar.’ Collins decorated the sidewalk with bright flowers and stars drawn in chalk to cheer herself up.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
