For months, the Ohio case centered on one shocking discovery: 16 children found living in severely unsanitary conditions inside a home in Hamden.

Now, investigators are confronting a different question — whether the story began long before those 16 children were rescued.

New reporting has revealed that Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders had previously taken in another teenager, bringing the number of children connected to the household to at least 17 at different points.

According to court records obtained and reported by PEOPLE, the additional child was between 13 and 16 years old and lived with the couple between January and September 2022. The teenager was not part of the group rescued from the home on June 30, 2026.

The teenager later accused Gary Siders Jr. of abuse while under his guardianship.

The allegations became part of a broader criminal investigation that had already produced separate sexual-abuse allegations. Gary Jr. now faces four sex-related charges involving a minor, in addition to 19 child-endangerment counts connected to the 16 children discovered in June.

Elizabeth Siders has also been accused in connection with the teenager. On September 16, she appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to four newly filed sex-related charges involving a minor.

The latest charges against Elizabeth include two counts of sexual battery and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

The developments have significantly widened the timeline of the case.

The original June investigation began after authorities executed a search warrant at the Siders property. Investigators reported finding 16 children, ranging from approximately 18 months to 18 years old, in conditions authorities described as deplorable.

Several children required hospitalization following their removal.

The children were subsequently placed under government care, where they have been receiving medical and behavioral-health services.

The case also involves Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders, who were charged with child endangerment.

Gary Siders Sr., 73, recently became the first of the four Siders defendants to have his competency issue formally resolved. On September 9, a judge ruled him incompetent to stand trial after accepting a court-ordered evaluation that reportedly found his condition was not restorable.

That does not amount to a criminal conviction or an acquittal.

For Elizabeth, the legal process is still developing. Her attorney has requested a competency evaluation, meaning another major issue could soon affect the direction of her case.

The Ohio investigation is therefore no longer simply about what authorities found inside the Hamden home on June 30.

It now includes allegations involving a teenager who lived with the family years earlier, separate sexual-abuse allegations, historical child-welfare records and questions about how the family came to the attention of authorities.

None of the defendants has been convicted of the allegations described above.

What the courts ultimately determine will depend on evidence presented through the legal process. For now, the newest filings have added another chapter to a case that continues to unfold months after the 16 children were removed from the home.