HAMDEN, Ohio (AP) — Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday.
Some of the children discovered Tuesday were unable to speak and one — an 18-year-old who was developmentally disabled — could not even write her name, investigators said.
"Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children," said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. "Just a disgusting scene."
The children's parents and two grandparents were charged with felony child endangerment, a prosecutor said.
Authorities found the children while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday at a news conference.