Child Left Unprotected: Child Protective Services Inaction Sparks Concern in Ross County Abuse Case
A high school student’s desperate plea for help has cast light on what law enforcement sources describe as a recurring failure by Ross County Child Protective Services to protect vulnerable children.
The crisis began on April 1, 2025, when a student at Zane Trace High School arrived in a state of visible panic and distress. Staff described him as “hysterical,” begging to speak with someone. What they discovered was deeply troubling: chemical burns covered his arms, stomach, genitals, and buttocks, injuries he confessed were self-inflicted using Clorox bleach wipes in a frantic attempt to “get the germs off.”
He had been scrubbing himself raw, from his elbows to his fingertips. Deputies who responded to the school noted the severity of the burns, as well as the student’s alarming mental state. He admitted to hallucinations, describing visions of dropping his phone in a toilet, visions he knew weren’t real but couldn’t shake. According to school officials, his mental health had been steadily deteriorating for weeks, and what they witnessed was clearly a full-blown crisis.
But his psychological distress wasn’t happening in isolation. As the student opened up, he painted a grim picture of his home life: his stepfather, who had been absent for two days, had returned and spent the night fighting with the boy’s mother. He hinted at drug use, suggesting cocaine might be involved, though the details were vague. When school staff called his mother to express concern and recommend medical treatment, she dismissed their worries outright. She insisted he didn’t need a doctor, demanded he be put on the bus home, and berated him over the phone, accusing him of overreacting and seeking attention.
He was visibly afraid of going home. School staff took photos of his injuries and sent him to the nurse. The Ross County Sheriff’s Office got involved, and deputies immediately contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) but the response was chilling.
“They advised they were not going to send anyone to the scene,” deputies wrote in their report.
CPS refused to intervene, leaving the student covered in burns, experiencing hallucinations, and terrified of returning to his home with no protection. Sources within law enforcement, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the case, said this is part of a broader, disturbing trend in the county.
“This isn’t an isolated incident,” one source said. “We’ve seen CPS drop the ball time and again, children in clear danger, and they either don’t show up or close cases too fast. It’s a systemic problem here.”
The student’s story is a heartbreaking example of the dire circumstances some children endure without intervention. Scrubbing his skin raw, haunted by mental torment, ignored by the system, and berated by his family, his situation calls into question the very role of the agency designed to protect children like him.
As of now, the Ross County Sheriff’s Office continues to monitor the case, but their ability to act is limited without cooperation from CPS. Meanwhile, officials from the agency have not responded to multiple requests for comment. The silence from Ross County CPS speaks volumes.
