Ohio Child Neglect Case: Store Employee Describes Disturbing Encounters With Family

A Dollar General employee has described her encounters with members of the 🇺🇸Ohio family at the center of a ⚠️Child neglect investigation, saying the conditions she observed before the children were rescued continue to haunt her.

According to LAD Bible, authorities recently discovered 16 children living inside a home in Vinton County under what officials described as shocking conditions.

The children, who range in age from 18 months to 18 years, were found in a room covered in feces, and investigators said several were unable to speak.

Ariel Gutierrez, who worked at a nearby Dollar General frequented by the family, said the Siders family often visited the store shortly before closing to purchase items such as water, vegetable oil, and sugar.

Gutierrez told WSYX ABC 6 that she usually saw only one child accompany the adults during those visits. She said the children appeared malnourished and withdrawn.

"Ghost white, didn't have no weight on their body and they had their hair over their face, like to block out the outside world to not see them," she said.