(NewsNation) — New questions are emerging about the 33-year-old mother of the 16 kids found living in squalor, as prosecutors build their case against four Siders family members charged in the Ohio child endangerment case.

Court records obtained by NewsNation local affiliate WOWK show Elizabeth Siders married Gary Siders Jr. in 2008 with her parents’ consent when she was 15 and seven months’ pregnant.

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Ronnie Fletcher, uncle to the 16 children, said Elizabeth Siders had a difficult home life before marrying into the Siders family, according to WOWK. “She’s willingly there at the home. She did not have a very good home life when they got together, and she escaped,” Fletcher said.

Social media posts reviewed by Los Angeles Magazine include a claim from a man identifying himself as Elizabeth Siders’ brother, who said she had been “indoctrinated.” He went on to say they only reconnected recently after being estranged for 15 years.

On NewsNation’s “Jesse Weber Live,” host Jesse Weber and former lead Susan Smith trial prosecutor Tommy Pope discussed whether that background could play into legal defense.

“So, child bride, indoctrinated, had her first baby, allegedly at 13,” Weber said. “Is any of this a defense?”

“I don’t know that it’s a defense,” Pope said. “I think it can break down strategically, even on how you trial them, whether everybody has a separate trial, whether they’re in there together.”

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Pope said the circumstances surrounding Siders’ marriage stood out to him.

“It looks like she got married with her parents’ consent in West Virginia when she was 15 and was seven months pregnant,” Pope said. “It almost seems like the worst of circumstances. To her credit, they kept the child and they chose life. But it seems like she’s been locked in that cycle, obviously, based on the number of kids.”

Pope also addressed Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson’s description of the case as an “intrafamily” situation, a term he said he had not encountered before.

“Best I can see, it’s almost alluding to some sexual relationships within the family, perhaps with the father-in-law or something of that nature,” Pope said.

Two of the 16 children referenced in the case were twin girls who died shortly after birth in 2022 from natural causes tied to extreme prematurity, according to birth and death records reviewed by WOWK.

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Pope said prosecuting the case will be difficult given the ages and communication limits of the alleged victims.

The children ranged in age from 1 1/2 years to 18 years old and included both boys and girls. 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, Wilson said.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional charges have been filed.

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