The family of 8-year-old Martonio Wilder has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, claiming the local child-welfare system failed him and that a caseworker tried to cover it up in the records. The complaint, filed two years after Martonio’s body was discovered, names Franklin County Children Services and several related parties and seeks both damages and answers.
According to ABC 6/WSYX, the suit argues that agencies did not properly monitor the boy’s home and that a caseworker altered case notes to hide mistakes. The filing names a caseworker and a youth-services provider along with Franklin County Children Services and lays out a detailed timeline of what the family says were missed chances to intervene.
Columbus police say they found Martonio’s body hidden in a trash bag in the attic of a home in the 1000 block of Olmstead Avenue on June 28, 2024, according to the Columbus Division of Police. An autopsy found asphyxia caused by neck compression, along with signs of severe malnutrition and blunt-force trauma, as reported by WOSU.
What the suit alleges
The complaint, as described by ABC 6/WSYX, outlines a series of contacts and warning signs that relatives and community members say were never fully acted on. It accuses the named caseworker and her employer of altering records to conceal missed visits and concerns, and it says supervisors at a contracted youth-services agency failed to escalate red flags about Martonio’s worsening condition.
Criminal convictions and sentences
Both adults charged in connection with Martonio’s death later pleaded guilty and received prison terms. Johnna Lowe pleaded guilty in June 2025, and Martonio’s mother, LaShanda Wilder, entered a guilty plea in July 2025. Each was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years, according to WOSU, which also reported on the autopsy findings prosecutors described in court.
What comes next
The civil case now heads into Franklin County Common Pleas Court, where Martonio’s relatives will press their negligence and wrongful-death claims while the named agencies prepare to defend their actions. The lawsuit has renewed calls from family members and community advocates for a closer look at how local child-protection workers handle warnings, as Columbus confronts hard questions about what was missed before an 8-year-old ended up in an attic.
