Authorities say the children, ages 18 months to 18 years, were kept for years in a 13-square-meter room surrounded by human feces and severe filth; their parents and grandparents were arrested and pleaded not guiltyynet|Sixteen children were rescued from a neglected home in a small village in Ohio after authorities said they had been kept for much of the past four years in one room, in conditions described as “deplorable.”The children, ages 18 months to 18 years, were found in a house in the village of Hamden in Vinton County, in southeastern Ohio, living in extreme filth, surrounded by human feces and severe sanitary hazards. Police arrested the children’s parents and grandparents.GalleryThe Ohio ‘house of horrors’ and the arrested family members (Photo:Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail, AP)Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described what investigators found as “pure evil” and said it was one of the worst scenes he had encountered in his career. He said the children’s condition was so serious that if authorities had reached the home later, one or more of them might have died.The children, boys and girls from the same family, were discovered Tuesday as authorities executed a search warrant as part of a separate investigation.“We did not know there were going to be 16 children there,” Wilson said. He added that the family had managed to hide the children for years.According to authorities, some of the children were unable to speak or could communicate only in a very limited way. One of them, an 18-year-old with a developmental disability, could not even write her name. Prosecutors said the 18-year-old is listed as a victim in the indictment because developmentally she is still considered a minor.The Ohio home where 16 children lived in a 13-square-meter room (Photo: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Items scattered in the yard. Investigators ‘can’t get rid of the smell’ (Photo: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)(Photo: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)(Photo: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain said it appeared the children spent most of their time in a room measuring only about 13 square meters. He did not say how they were prevented from leaving the house, but noted that no cages were found.“Most of our farm animals were kept in better conditions than these children,” the sheriff said. “This is just a disgusting scene.”Seven of the children were taken to hospitals in Columbus, Ohio, and two were flown by helicopter to the highest-level trauma centers. One child was in critical condition and required ventilation.“They looked almost like feral animals. It was awful,” Wilson said. He added that almost a day after entering the house, he still “can’t get rid of the smell.”The four suspects, Gary Siders Sr., 73; Christina Siders, 67; Gary Siders Jr., 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33, are, according to the county prosecutor, the children’s grandparents and parents. All four appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty. Bond was set at $300,000 for each of them.Each of the four was charged with 16 counts of endangering children, a second-degree felony, because prosecutors said the case involved “serious physical harm.” Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer emphasized that the case was not a human trafficking investigation, but a “family situation.” He said the children are now in a safe place and authorities are working to transfer them into temporary state custody.The parents and grandparents (Photo: Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail)Investigators said the family had lived in Vinton County for the past four years, but had moved between different places in southern Ohio for about two decades. Authorities said it appeared they avoided creating medical and government records, and the children were not registered in schools.“They were pretty good at hiding these kids and keeping them out of the sight of investigators,” Wilson said.Authorities are now checking whether any previous reports about the family had been made to child welfare services. The investigation is continuing inside the home and on the surrounding property after investigators said additional evidence was found there.‘This is something you would not expect in this village’ (Photo: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)(Photo: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)(Photo: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)The house where the children were found is on Ohmer Avenue in Hamden, a village of fewer than 1,000 people. According to neighbors, the home sits near a railroad embankment, and the yard was filled with discarded items, including tires, a baby high chair, broken bicycles, a plastic play table and baby seats.Neighbors said they had no idea children were living inside. Joseph Stewart, 60, who has lived on the street for six years, said that since the family moved in, he had not seen “any children at all.”“It’s a sad story,” he said. Another neighbor, Petey Angeles, said he was stunned by the allegations. “Nothing happens here,” he said. “This is something you wouldn’t expect in this village.”Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called the case “tragic.” He said he had spoken with the local sheriff and offered state assistance to local welfare services.“It is heartbreaking to hear about the conditions these children were living in and their medical condition,” DeWine said. Wilson promised: “Justice will be done for these children.”