A West Virginia couple, Jeanne Whitefeather, 62, and Donald Lantz, 63, pleaded not guilty to new abuse charges stemming from allegations of horrific treatment of their five adopted Black children. Already facing charges of human trafficking, civil rights violations, and child neglect, the couple now faces additional counts, including child abuse resulting in bodily harm and forced labor.
Authorities discovered the abuse in October 2023 when two children, aged 16 and 14, were found padlocked in a barn with no electricity or running water. A third child, a 9-year-old girl, was confined in a loft inside the home. The children described being locked in the barn for up to 12 hours, forced to sleep on concrete floors, and using a makeshift RV toilet. “The children were feral and dirty, reeking of body odor,” court documents stated, with the boy suffering from open sores on his feet.
Neighbors reported seeing the children performing farm labor and being denied access to the house. Whitefeather claimed the barn was a “teenage clubhouse” and denied the allegations of confinement, but the evidence contradicted her statements.
The couple had been out on bail after initially paying $400,000, allegedly sourced from the sale of properties in Washington and West Virginia, which prosecutors argue were proceeds from child trafficking. Upon discovering the financial transactions, a judge revoked their bond, doubling it to $500,000 each. “You heard in the testimony about what these children were going through, and it’s horrifying and despicable,” said Kanawha County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Debra Rusnak.
The indictment paints a grim picture of forced labor, racial targeting, and neglect. Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers described the case as unprecedented, saying, “It alleges human trafficking, human rights violations, and the use of forced labor. These children were targeted because of their race and used basically as slaves.”
The couple remains in custody as prosecutors continue building their case, alleging that the abuse was financially motivated and racially driven.
Link: Atlanta Black Star
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