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4 Adults Charged After Girl, 14, Was Found Weighing Only 35 Lbs. Amid Neglect
Four adults have been arrested after it was discovered that a 14-year-old girl in Wisconsin only weighed 35 pounds due to neglect while living at her father and stepmother’s home.
Authorities found the child in a home in Oneida, Wisconsin in August, according to Fox 11. The girl – whose name has not been publicly revealed – was severely malnourished with respiratory failure, cardiac dysfunction, severe acute hepatitis and pancreatitis, per court documents viewed by the outlet.
The documents also noted that doctors weren’t sure if she would survive when she was first admitted to the hospital.
During a recent court hearing, Outagamie County assistant district attorney Julie DuQuaine testified that the child “looked like a skeleton” in photos from when she was found. DuQuaine added that the girl was “literally just skin and bones,” per the outlet.
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After the victim was found, her father, Walter Goodman, his wife, Melissa Goodman, her daughter, Savanna Lefever, and LeFever’s partner, Kayla Stemler, were all arrested. They were each charged with three felony counts of Chronic Neglect of a Child, with Consequence being Great Bodily Harm and two felony counts of Chronic Neglect of a Child, with Consequence being Emotional Damage, according to charging documents viewed by People.
All four of the people arrested are facing more than 80 years in prison if they’re convicted.
Authorities discovered the victim after her father called 911 to report that she was very lethargic and weak. Once officers arrived at the home, they assumed the girl was between 6 or 7 years old due to her size.
The teenager was hospitalized in Green Bay before she was transferred to Children’s Wisconsin in Wauwatosa. While she was in the hospital, the girl asked for a second portion of food and said her father would “be so mad” if he knew she was eating so much, according to the criminal complaint.
The girl also claimed to the medical staff that her father “doesn’t like when I eat that much” after she was told she would be given three meals a day while in the hospital. Additionally, staff members said that her “eyes lit up” when she learned how much food she would be receiving.
The victim began living with her dad in 2020 after her mother went to jail. She attended virtual school from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while her father claimed she was being homeschooled in the following years, per the criminal complaint.
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“She was neglected for a number of years,” DuQuaine said in court, per Fox 11. “She has not gone to the doctor since September 2020. She has not been in school since COVID.”
Walter has seemingly admitted to neglect, and he told authorities he monitored and communicated with his daughter via a webcam in her room that she was locked inside of, per WISN.
The four suspects are currently being housed at Outagamie County Jail. The Goodmans’ and Stemler’s bail are set at $150,000 cash, while LeFever’s bail is set at $100,000, according to People.
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