Ohio Dad Left Special Needs 2YO Restrained In Filthy Home For 7 Hours Alone

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A Cleves man has been indicted after allegedly leaving a 2-year-old child with special needs home alone for hours.

Joshua Merz, 35, is facing two counts of child endangerment for the alleged incident on April 8.

According to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office, Merz is accused of leaving the child locked in a bedroom for at least seven hours while he went to work.

After a neighbor called law enforcement, arriving deputies said the home was “filthy” and “potentially dangerous.”

“There is never a reason to leave a 2-year -old child home alone. It’s our job to make sure those who cannot speak for themselves are protected. And that’s exactly what we will do in this case,” Hamilton County prosecutor Connie Pillich said.

Cleves man accused of leaving 2-year-old with special needs home alone

A Cleves man has been indicted after allegedly leaving a 2-year-old child with special needs home alone for hours.

www.wlwt.com

According to a news release from the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office on April 8, responded to a home regarding a young child being left alone inside the residence. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders described the home as being “filthy and potentially dangerous.”

Per the indictment, prosecutors said that Merz “recklessly physically restrained” the 2-year-old in a “cruel manner or for a prolonged period, “which was excessive under the circumstances and created a substantial risk of serious physical harm.”

The child’s specific special needs have not been publicly identified.

While the sheriff’s office said it was informed of Merz leaving the child alone by “a neighbor,” Cincinnati NBC affiliate WLWT reported that the 911 caller was actually Merz’s father, Bruce Merz.

“It’s heartbreaking — it’s the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. But it was the right thing to do, and Josh knows that,” Bruce Merz told the station in an interview. “He made a mistake and we all have to live with it now.

The station obtained audio of the 911 call Bruce placed on April 8.

“I don’t know if it’s been reported or not, but there was a child left alone in a house and I’m in the house now with the child,” Bruce tells the emergency dispatcher.

At some point during the call the dispatcher says that the child had previously been “found naked, locked in a bedroom by a friend.”

Dad 'physically restrained' special needs toddler for hours in filthy home, went to work: Cops

Joshua Merz was arrested for allegedly leaving his 2-year-old special needs child restrained in his "filthy" home for hours while he went to work.

lawandcrime.com

 

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STATE OF OHIO vs. JOSHUA MERZ

FILED DATE: 04/16/2025

COUNT 1:
ENDANGERING CHILDREN

DISPOSITION: 11/04/2025 - DISMISSAL

COUNT 2:
ENDANGERING CHILDREN

DISPOSITION: 10/27/2025 - COMMUNITY CONTROL