(NewsNation) — A relative of the family suspected of child endangerment of 16 children has spoken out.

Ronnie Fletcher, uncle to 16 children rescued in Vinton County, Ohio, last week, said the rest of the family was “horrified.”

“Horrified. Worried about the kids. It’s hard to explain the action when you’re distant family,” Fletcher told NewsNation affiliate WOWK. “‘What can I do to help?’ That was the original reaction to it.”

Fletcher referred to his family as distant because he said they were not close, though he said he is the children’s uncle.

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“My wife will take the last $5 out of her pocket and buy somebody a meal and chance of running out of gas to get home,” Fletcher said. “We didn’t know this was that way. We would have helped.”

He said the first time he saw the Siders’ home was on the news.

Four adults face felony child endangerment charges after 16 kids were found living in squalid conditions inside a home in Hamden, Ohio.

Law enforcement arrested Gary Siders Jr., 36; Elizabeth Siders, 33; Gary Siders Sr., 73; and Christina Siders, 66, identified as the children’s parents and grandparents, on June 30. They all pleaded not guilty on July 1.

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The four were charged with second-degree felony child endangerment because it involves “serious physical harm,” Vinton County prosecutor William Archer said.

Sixteen children from the same family were rescued from a home in rural Ohio where they were allegedly living in squalid conditions, including human waste. Authorities said they were confined to just one room for much of the past four years.

Some of the children were unable to speak, and one of them, an 18-year-old, could not write her name, investigators said.

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“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. “Just a disgusting scene.”

The children, boys and girls, ranged in age from 1.5 years to 18 years old.

Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus, and two were flown by helicopter. One was in critical condition last Tuesday, while some of the others were admitted for care, officials said.

“They looked like almost feral animals,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said. “It was terrible.”

The Associated Press and NewsNation’s Tatiana Carter contributed to this article.

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