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The public defender ᴀssigned to represent the Ohio “house of horrors” matriarch is requesting an additional evaluation of her client to determine if she is suffering from dementia.
Christina Siders, the homeowner of the residence where her 16 grandchildren were rescued after being found packed into a single room, underwent a mental competency evaluation on Sept. 5, according to a motion filed by her attorney Kandra Roberts and obtained by PEOPLE.
On Sept. 29, Dr. Brian P. O’Reilly, Ph.D., issued his report on Christina, and Roberts writes in her motion that he determined she “has several risk factors for cerebrovascular dementia, and that a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is required to determine whether her cognitive impairment is the result of symptoms of dementia.”
According to Roberts, the best way to determine if Christina is already suffering from dementia is to have another expert evaluate her for 20 hours at a total cost of $7,000; she is now asking the court to cover the bill.
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The motion adds that determining if Christina has dementia is crucial to determining if she is competent to stand trial on the criminal charges of child neglect she is facing in the case.
Roberts also notes that O’Reilly describes dementia as an “irreversible degenerative neurological condition,” which means there could be a question of restorability.
If the court determines that Christina cannot be restored to a state where she is competent to stand trial, then Judge Laina Fetherolf Rogers could dismiss all charges against her and send her case to probate court for civil commitment.
On Oct. 6, Rogers dismissed the criminal case against Christina’s husband for that very reason.
In her order announcing this, Rogers explained that because the expert who evaluated Gary “did not state a conclusion as to restorability, but opined that based on the nature of Mr. Siders’ condition, a finding of unrestorability could be supported,” the criminal case against Gary would be dismissed without prejudice.
That order also noted that the court would not cede jurisdiction over Gary’s case until it was taken up by the Vinton County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division.
Roberts continued in her motion that the question of whether or not Christina has dementia should be determined before a competency hearing is held in the case.
She is currently being held in jail on $300,000 bail alongside her son Gary Siders II and daughter-in-law Elizabeth Siders.
Those three, along with Gary, were arrested on June 30 after 16 children were rescued from the home they shared in the village of Hamden, which is located approximately 75 miles south of Columbus.
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Christina is currently charged with 19 counts of child endangerment: two second-degree felony counts, 10 third-degree felony counts and seven first-degree misdemeanor counts.
Roberts previously said that there is no evidence that Christina, 67, has ever “threatened anyone” and pointed out that she “was only around her grandchildren because her son and his wife decided to reside” at her home in a motion seeking to reduce her bond.
It was also previously revealed that Christina was financially responsible for the entire household of 20 people.
Rogers has yet to respond to this latest motion and is still considering a reduction in Christina’s bond.