The Ohio investigation involving 16 children rescued from a Hamden-area home has entered another major legal phase, with Elizabeth Siders now facing additional sex-related charges and a separate allegation involving a teenager who previously lived with the family.

Siders, 33, appeared in Vinton County court on September 16 and pleaded not guilty to four new charges: two counts of sexual battery and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The allegations involve a minor who was between 13 and 16 years old at the time of the alleged conduct. Her husband, Gary Siders Jr., faces the same four sex-related charges.

The new charges come on top of 19 child-endangerment counts against Elizabeth and Gary Jr. stemming from the June 30 discovery of their 16 children inside their Hamden home. Authorities have described the living conditions as extremely unsafe and unsanitary. The children ranged in age from about 18 months to 18 years.

The June rescue began after authorities executed a search warrant at the property during an investigation that had started months earlier. Investigators said the children were found in severely neglected conditions, with some requiring emergency medical treatment. The children were subsequently placed in county care.

But investigators have since uncovered another part of the story.

According to court records reported by PEOPLE, Gary and Elizabeth Siders had previously taken in a 17th child, a teenager between 13 and 16, who lived with them from January through September 2022. That teenager was not among the 16 children rescued in June.

The teenager later accused Gary Siders Jr. of abuse while he was acting as the child’s guardian. Elizabeth has also been accused in connection with the teenager, although the precise legal status of those allegations must be distinguished from the four sex-related charges she has now formally faced.

Gary Jr. has pleaded not guilty to the criminal allegations against him.

The case has also produced a significant development involving Gary Siders Sr., the children’s grandfather. On September 9, a Vinton County judge ruled that the 73-year-old was incompetent to stand trial after accepting the findings of a court-ordered evaluation. His attorney said the evaluation found his condition was not restorable.

That ruling does not establish guilt or innocence. It concerns whether Siders Sr. is legally capable of understanding the proceedings and assisting in his defense. Prosecutors must determine what happens next with his case.

Elizabeth is also undergoing a competency evaluation. Her attorney has raised concerns about whether she is capable of fully understanding the proceedings against her.

Meanwhile, the 16 children remain in government care and are receiving medical and behavioral-health support. Ohio has also provided emergency funding to Vinton County to help meet the children’s needs.

Despite the dramatic developments, there has been no final verdict against Elizabeth, Gary Jr. or Christina Siders. The allegations remain allegations unless and until proven in court.

For now, the newest evidence does not close the Ohio “House of Horrors” case. Instead, it has expanded the investigation beyond the 16 children discovered in June and raised new questions about what happened inside the family’s home and during the years before authorities arrived.