The estate of an 8-year-old boy found dead in a Columbus attic in 2024 has filed a wrongful death suit against Franklin County and the National Youth Advocacy Program.
Martonio Wilder's body was found in a bag. An autopsy showed he died of asphyxia by neck compression. The suit stated he weighed just 35 pounds when he died.
His mother, Lashanda Wilder, and her partner, Johnna Lowe, are serving life sentences in prison after both pleaded guilty to murder.
The suit, filed Tuesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, said Wilder lost custody of Martonio before 2024, but regained custody through the National Youth Advocacy Program (NYAP).
The suit said the defendants failed to investigate and report the child abuse and neglect of Martonio.
The suit also named National Youth Advocacy Program caseworker Haleigh Ingham, who was indicted in March of tampering with records. Ingham has pleaded not guilty.
The suit said, "Despite reports of imminent risk from mandated reporters and others, NYAP failed to initiate any investigation to assure Martonio Wilder's safety."
The suit also said that despite its mandated requirement to do so, NYAP "failed for extended periods of time to make face-to-face contact with Martonio Wilder."
Franklin County Children Services contracts with the National Youth Advocacy Program to manage some ongoing cases.
In a statement, Franklin County Children Services spokesperson Scott Varner called the lawsuit "a disappointing development to an already heartbreaking story."
"Franklin County Children Services takes seriously the types of allegations made in the lawsuit related to the work of a caseworker," Varner said.
"First, the two women who were responsible for little Martonio’s death - his mother and his mother’s girlfriend - both pled guilty to his murder and are set to remain in jail for the rest of their lives. This horrible situation is an example of the deadly dangers of domestic violence for children in our community," Varner said.
Varner added, "Second, it should be noted that this caseworker left NYAP soon after Martonio’s death and has not been connected to any case or child in the care of Franklin County Children Services since that time."
The suit seeks compensatory damages of at least $25,000 plus wrongful death damages.
