Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said officers had no idea they would find so many children inside.Sixteen children aged between 18 months and 18 years were rescued from a rural home in Hamden, Ohio, after authorities uncovered what they described as horrific living conditions during the execution of a search warrant in an unrelated investigation. Four family members have been charged with felony child endangerment, while officials said the children, who had allegedly been confined to a single room for years, are now in state custody receiving medical care.The four accused, identified as Gary Siders Sr. , 73, Gary Siders Jr. , 36, Christina Siders, 67, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, appeared in court on Wednesday. A judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf and set cash bonds at $300,000 each. Gary Siders Sr. attended the hearing in a wheelchair via Zoom. The defendants have not yet been assigned lawyers.Officials said all 16 children have now undergone medical evaluations. Some have since been released from hospital, while others remain admitted in serious condition. Earlier, seven children were taken to hospitals in Columbus, two of them by helicopter, after being found in critical need of care.Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the authorities narrowly prevented a tragedy."I think if they would have waited another 24 hours, that there was a very high probability that we'd be dealing with a death or multiple deaths of these children," he said.Officials describe children as ‘almost feral’Wilson described the scene as one of the worst he had witnessed in his career."It was terrible. I mean, they really, they looked, like, almost feral animals," he said.He added that some of the children were so isolated they had failed to develop basic communication skills."Some of these children couldn't even speak."One of the children, an 18-year-old with developmental disabilities, was reportedly unable to write her own name.Children allegedly confined to one room for yearsInvestigators believe the children spent most of the past four years confined to a room measuring roughly 12 feet by 12 feet. Authorities said the house was littered with rubbish and surrounded by human waste, although no cages were found inside.Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described the conditions as appalling."Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children," he said.Reflecting on the rescue, Cain said officers experienced mixed emotions."In a weird way, you're hit with most, two emotions. There is joy when we realize that we're about to change 16 lives for the better. But you're also... It's hard."Discovery made during unrelated investigationThe discovery was made on Tuesday when investigators from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Vinton County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant linked to an unrelated investigation at the property in the village of Hamden, about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.Wilson said officers had no idea they would find so many children inside."We didn't know there were going to be 16 kids there," he said, adding that the conditions were "the type of thing that we're not used to seeing here in America."Family allegedly hid children from public viewAuthorities stressed that the case does not involve human trafficking, dismissing rumours circulating online. Instead, Wilson described it as a generational family situation. Investigators believe the family had moved around southern Ohio for years while avoiding medical and government records, making it difficult for authorities to detect the children's existence."These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids," Wilson said.Officials said the children were not enrolled in school, and it appeared that few, if any, people outside the family knew they existed. Neighbour Joseph Stewart, who has lived nearby for six years, said he had seen "no kids at all" since the family moved into the property.The four adults face second-degree felony child endangerment charges, which prosecutors said reflect allegations of serious physical harm. Investigators are continuing to examine the family's history, including whether they had ever been reported to child protection agencies. Authorities said justice would be pursued for all 16 children.