CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A high school student’s desperate plea for help has exposed a troubling pattern of inaction by Child Protective Services (CPS) in Ross County, according to law enforcement sources, after the agency refused to respond to a report of severe abuse and neglect involving chemical burns and a deteriorating home life.

The incident unfolded on April 1, 2025, when the student, whose identity is being withheld due to his age, arrived at Zane Trace High School in a state of distress, “hysterical” and begging to speak with someone, according to an investigative report the Ross County Sheriff’s Office. School staff described the boy’s alarming condition: chemical burns covering his arms, stomach, genitals, and buttocks, self-inflicted with Clorox bleach wipes in a frantic attempt to “get the germs off.”

“He had been heavily scrubbing his skin from just above the elbows down to the fingertips,” deputies wrote in their report, noting the severity of the burns visible on his arms and stomach. The student also admitted to “seeing things,” including vivid hallucinations of dropping his phone in a toilet, which he acknowledged weren’t real but still tormented him. School staff concluded he was likely suffering a mental health breakdown, a decline they said had been noticeable for about three weeks.

The boy’s home life, as relayed to staff, painted a grim picture of abuse and neglect. He told counselors his stepfather, recently returned after a two-day absence, had been “fighting” with his mother all night. The student also hinted at his stepfather’s involvement with cocaine, though details remained unclear. When staff contacted the boy’s mother, she dismissed their concerns, insisting he didn’t need a doctor and ordering him sent home on the bus after school. She reportedly berated her son over the phone, telling him he was “grounded” and “in trouble,” accusing him of seeking attention because he didn’t have “normal problems.” The boy grew visibly fearful of returning home, staff said.

Despite the school’s efforts to secure medical attention and the sheriff’s office notifying CPS, child protective services refused to intervene.

“They advised they were not going to send anyone to the scene,” deputies reported. The refusal left the boy in limbo, with no immediate protection from a home environment law enforcement and school officials deemed unsafe.

Law enforcement sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case, said CPS’s inaction is part of a broader, troubling trend in Ross County.

“This isn’t an isolated incident,” one source said. “We’ve seen CPS drop the ball time and again—kids in clear danger, and they either don’t show up or close cases too fast. It’s a systemic problem here.”

The student’s predicament shows the dire circumstances some children in the county endure without intervention. Left to scrub himself raw with bleach and haunted by hallucinations, his cries for help met with indifference from both his family and the agency tasked with his protection. His mother’s refusal to seek medical care and her punitive response deepened his isolation, while his stepfather’s alleged drug issues and volatility added to the chaos at home.

Zane Trace staff took photos of the boy’s injuries and sent him to the school nurse, but with CPS unwilling to step in, his fate remains uncertain. The sheriff’s office continues to monitor the situation, though their authority to act without CPS involvement is limited.

Ross County CPS officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the case or allegations of recurring failures.