Who is responsible for the death of Kasey Warner? The battle lines appear to be drawn between Franklin County Children Services and an outside contractor.

The 13-year-old boy died October 8 in a west Columbus group home for autistic children -- less than 48 hours after being placed there by Children Services.  The public agency says a contract with ViaQuest Behavioral Health outlined care requirements that would have protected Kasey.

Kasey Warner's autism was so severe he had never spoken a word.  His mother believed --indeed was promised -- that her son would have constant one-on-one supervision at the group home.

Why then was he left alone to die in a bathtub in 12 inches of water?

Francis Mensah was alone that night with three autistic children.  He says he was never told Kasey needed constant supervision.

Mensah, employed by ViaQuest, told 10TV over the phone that Kasey was restless during the night and even knocked over a dresser.  At 3:30 a.m., Mensah heard Kasey in the bathroom.  But he says he didn't check on the boy for more than hour, and that’s when he found him dead.  Mensah told 10TV that he called 9-1-1 right away, which would have been around 4:30 a.m.  But Columbus Police records show the emergency call wasn't made for nearly another hour.

A ViaQuest supervisor answered questions about his company that runs group homes, and the employees who work for them.

“In that house, 1:3 is sufficient,” ViaQuest regional director Mitch Snyder said of the required staff-to-client ratio for the Warren Avenue group home where Kasey died.

But Franklin County Children Services executive director John Saros says ViaQuest was required to provide one-on-one care for the autistic children in that house.

Saros showed 10TV a contract for Kasey's care.  It started October 6, the day Kasey entered the home after being brought here from another facility in Indiana.

ViaQuest would be paid $340 a day to provide for Kasey, and the boy would get his own staff member -- one-on-one supervision -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“I do not have a one-on-one contract for Kasey.  That I’m certain of,” Snyder said in response to Saros’ claim.

In fact, ViaQuest did not have the finalized contract because it had not been signed yet.

“This is really an administrative technicality as far as I’m concerned,” Saros said.

That’s because, according to Saros, two weeks before Kasey went to the group home, Children Services and ViaQuest met to discuss the boy’s needs.  The outcome of that meeting, the agreement to care for the boy, was a legally binding oral contract, Saros said.

Saros says if one-on-one supervision was not provided, then there’s an issue of responsibility on the part of ViaQuest.

In the meantime, Francis Mensah, the ViaQuest staffer in the home the morning of Kasey’s death, has been placed on leave.

And Kasey Warner has been buried.

The Franklin County coroner was waiting for medical records and toxicology tests on Tuesday to determine the exact cause of Kasey's death.