An Ohio mom accused of trapping 16 kids in a 12-by-12 room for years just had her lawyer announce in court that she is pregnant again

Elizabeth Siders, the mother accused in the Ohio “house of horrors” case, is reportedly pregnant again. As reported by LADbible, her lawyer, Tommy Stolly, announced the pregnancy to reporters while pushing for a second look at her mental evaluation and her capability to stand trial.

The announcement came after a judge ruled on November 9 that Siders was mentally competent to stand trial, according to WOUB. Stolly did not give further details about the pregnancy or a due date, though he had avoided answering questions about a possible pregnancy at a September hearing.

Stolly is pursuing an insanity defense, hoping Siders could be found not guilty by reason of insanity. The family was taken into custody on June 30 after officials visited their Ohio home and allegedly found 16 children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years, living together in a single 12-foot by 12-foot room.

Two of the four defendants are not headed to trial for now

Officials believe the children may have been trapped in those conditions for several years. Elizabeth Siders and her husband, Gary Siders Jr., have both been charged with felony child endangerment, and her in-laws, Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders, faced the same charges.

Gary Siders Sr. has already had his case dismissed after a judge found him mentally incompetent to stand trial. Christina Siders was found to show signs of dementia and is headed to a facility for treatment, as her evaluation suggests she could be restored to competency and potentially stand trial later.

An evaluation for Gary Siders Jr. is still part of the preparation for his trial. All four have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and prosecutors have also opposed lowering Elizabeth’s bond in the case.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described the scene as “pure evil.” He also said the children removed from the house “looked like almost feral animals.”

Stolly has challenged some of these claims, arguing that he has seen things that go against the official version of events. He stated that the children of Elizabeth and Gary Jr. could speak and verbally communicated with police when they entered the room.

Stolly called Wilson’s comments “frankly inappropriate remarks” and claimed there was “no evidence that these kids were not free to move about the house.” He added, “If we’re talking about feral children, those are children who do not understand the world. If the kids can speak, I think that changes the analysis.”

Stolly said his client “absolutely disputes” the claims made by officials. When asked why the home was described as uninhabitable, he said the family had been living in extreme poverty.

Relaying Elizabeth’s perspective, Stolly said, “What she’s said to me is that with 16 kids, things could get messy fast. I don’t know more beyond that.”