The Ohio investigation involving 16 children has already produced criminal charges, mental-health evaluations and new allegations.

Now it is producing something else: a major financial burden for the county responsible for caring for the children.

Vinton County officials have revealed that several child-focused accounts were rapidly drained after authorities removed the children from the Hamden home.

The discovery has transformed the case from a criminal investigation into a much broader crisis involving child welfare, medical care, behavioral health and public funding.

And the financial question is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore:

Who will pay for the years of care these children may need?

The 16 children were discovered on June 30 after authorities executed a search warrant at a home on Ohmer Street in Hamden.

Investigators described the living conditions as extremely poor and unsafe.

Authorities said the children had been confined in a small room and encountered severe sanitation problems inside the property.

Several children required hospitalization following their removal.

Four adults — Gary Siders Jr., Elizabeth Siders, Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders — were arrested and charged with child endangerment.

But the legal case expanded significantly in August.

On August 21, a Vinton County grand jury returned indictments against all four defendants.

Gary Siders Jr., Elizabeth Siders and Christina Siders were each indicted on 19 counts of child endangerment.

Gary Siders Sr. was indicted on 16 counts.

Gary Jr. and Elizabeth were also indicted on four additional sex-related charges each in a separate investigation involving a minor.

The defendants remain entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Yet regardless of what eventually happens in court, the financial consequences for the children have already arrived.

Once the children were removed from the home, government agencies had to provide immediate services.

Those services can include emergency medical treatment, temporary placement, transportation, food, clothing, education, counseling and specialized behavioral-health support.

With 16 children involved, even relatively ordinary costs can multiply quickly.

And some of the children reportedly required intensive medical attention after the rescue.

Vinton County officials warned early in the case that the expense could become overwhelming.

Recent financial records have now shown the extent of the strain.

Several child-focused county accounts were depleted in the weeks following the rescue.

Ohio responded with $1 million in emergency funding to assist Vinton County with the extraordinary costs.

The money is significant, but it also highlights another problem.

Emergency funding is designed to address an immediate crisis.

The children may need support for far longer.

If some require long-term medical or behavioral treatment, the total cost could continue increasing.

If they remain separated from their parents or extended family, housing and case-management expenses may continue.

If educational gaps exist, additional resources may be required.

And if mental-health needs are substantial, treatment could extend well beyond the initial months after the rescue.

The financial issue is therefore closely tied to the legal one.

The criminal prosecution may determine whether defendants face prison sentences, probation or other penalties.

But the children’s welfare cannot be postponed until the criminal cases are resolved.

That creates a difficult situation for taxpayers.

Public agencies must spend money immediately to protect children, even though the criminal courts may take months or years to determine who is legally responsible.

The situation also raises broader questions about Ohio’s child-welfare system.

Reporting after the rescue has revealed previous child-welfare involvement connected to the family.

Those records have raised questions about whether warning signs were missed and whether the system had enough resources to respond effectively.

Officials and investigators will ultimately have to examine what happened before June 30, including what information agencies had, what actions were taken and whether any additional intervention could have changed the outcome.

But those questions should not be confused with proof of wrongdoing by individual officials.

The fact that a family has previously appeared in child-welfare records does not automatically establish that authorities could have foreseen the conditions discovered later.

That determination requires a detailed examination of the records and decisions made at the time.

Meanwhile, the criminal investigation continues.

Gary Siders Jr. pleaded not guilty on August 26, and his bond was increased to $550,000.

Elizabeth Siders is undergoing competency and insanity evaluations.

Gary Siders Sr. is scheduled for a competency and insanity hearing on September 9.

All four defendants have sought competency evaluations.

That means the criminal proceedings could move at different speeds depending on the results of those evaluations.

One defendant could potentially proceed toward trial while another remains involved in competency proceedings.

That would add another layer of complexity to an already unusual case.

There is also the possibility that additional evidence could emerge.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has said the investigations remain ongoing.

But no one can predict whether more charges will ultimately be filed.

For now, the most certain cost is the cost of caring for the children.

And that cost is not simply measured in dollars.

It includes social workers, doctors, therapists, teachers, foster or residential placements and countless hours spent trying to rebuild lives disrupted by alleged neglect.

The financial accounts may eventually be replenished.

The emergency funding may eventually be replaced by longer-term state or federal resources.

But the human consequences are much harder to calculate.

Sixteen children now have to build new lives after being removed from the only environment many of them knew.

Their future could involve years of medical, educational and psychological support.

And that means the Ohio “House of Horrors” investigation is likely to remain a public issue long after the initial shock fades.

The criminal case may eventually reach a courtroom.

But the child-welfare case has already reached every level of government.

County officials must find the money.

State agencies must provide support.

Courts must determine legal responsibility.

And social-service professionals must help the children move forward.

The question is no longer simply who will be punished.

It is also:

Who will make sure these children are protected, supported and given the resources to recover — no matter how long the court case takes?

That may ultimately become the most important legacy of the entire investigation.