The United States Department of Health and Human Services has created a website which calls attention to some of the worst child support offenders in the country. With the creation of the 'most wanted' list of deadbeat parents, the agency hopes to apprehend and prosecute the delinquent payors for their failure to make child support payments.

The website, which is an effort of the agency's Office of Inspector General, includes photos and other information on a select few parents who owe child support across the country. While on the website, people can fill out and send an online fugitive tip form. The website also includes a 24-hour hotline for reporting information about the most wanted parents.

Normally, child support is a state matter. The federal government can intervene, however, in cases in which parents fail to make child support payments for more than one year, when they owe more than $5,000 for children that live in a different state, or when they flee the state or country to avoid making court-ordered child support payments.

Currently, there are five parents on the most wanted list. The fugitives reportedly owe amounts ranging from $21,000 to more than $1 million. The site also features two recently captured parents who owed $116,000 and $164,000.

While this short list will likely not affect many children or parents in Columbus, it will hopefully send a message to parents who are behind on child support that they need to pay their arrears and make all future payments on time in order to avoid federal criminal prosecution.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, "OIG Launches Child Support Enforcement Web Page: Introduces 'most wanted' list of deadbeat parents," Jan. 17, 2012