OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, Wis. (TCN) — Three people have been arrested and charged with chronic neglect of a child after authorities discovered a malnourished teenage girl weighing 35 pounds at their residence. A fourth suspect is in custody and is also expected to face charges.
The child’s father, Walter Goodman; Savanna LeFever, Goodman’s stepdaughter; and Kayla Stemler, LeFever’s partner, were arrested and each charged Nov. 10 with five counts of chronic neglect of a child, consequence great bodily harm and emotional damage, WLUK reports.
Melissa Goodman, Walter Goodman’s wife and the child’s stepmother, was taken into custody Nov. 12 and also faces charges, WLUK reports.
Melissa Goodman’s 15-year-old son also reportedly lived in the home.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by WLUK, Walter Goodman called 911 on Aug. 25 because his 14-year-old daughter, who reportedly has autism, was lethargic and had not eaten in four or five days. He explained to the dispatcher she was “laying there like she was comatose.”
When the responding officer arrived at their home, he thought the girl was between 6 and 8 years old. She was taken to a hospital for treatment. In addition to severe malnutrition, doctors noted pancreatitis, acute hepatitis, respiratory failure, optic nerve neuropathy, pressure sores, and cardiac dysfunction, the criminal complaint said.
She had reportedly not been to a doctor since September 2020, when she was 9 years old, and had been homeschooled since 2021.
The girl was reportedly locked in her room for extended periods, was monitored by a camera, and engaged in self-harm behaviors, according to the complaint.
During her stay at the hospital, the child listed various foods she was looking forward to eating, including pancakes, M&Ms, tacos, and vegetables, and said that her father would be mad at her because he “really doesn’t like when l eat that much.”
Law enforcement began investigating chronic neglect after learning that the 14-year-old was gravely ill and weighed only 35 pounds, according to the criminal complaint.
The three charged suspects made their first court appearance Nov. 11. Outagamie County Court Commissioner Brian Figy set $150,000 cash bonds for Walter Goodman and LeFever and $100,000 for Stemler, according WLUK. Goodman’s preliminary hearing is Nov. 14; Stemler is set for Nov. 19; and LeFever’s is Nov. 20.
“It’s alleged that a minor child was, quite frankly, living in a house of horrors,” Figy said in court.
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