The nightmare story of five adopted children, treated like “slav*s,” led to a West Virginia couple being collectively sentenced to 375 years in prison.
Jeanne Whitefeather, 63, and her husband, Donald Lantz, 62, were found guilty of multiple counts of forced labor, human trafficking, and child mistreatment and neglect.
Their black adopted children were aged 5 to 16 at the time of their rescue.
Highlights
- Jeanne Whitefeather, 63, and Donald Lantz, 62, were collectively sentenced to 375 years in prison.
- They were accused of mistreating their adopted Black children.
- Neighbors called for a welfare check after seeing the children being “forced to perform farm labor.”
- Deputies arrived at the scene and found some of them locked up in a shed.
Jeanne Whitefeather, 63, and Donald Lantz, 62, were collectively sentenced to 375 years in prison
Image credits: West Virginia Regional Jail
Trigger warning: This story contains details of child mistreatment that may be distressing to some.
Investigators found that Jeanne and Donald lived in Minnesota when the five children were adopted from a shelter for homeless and vulnerable youths.
The family moved to a farm in Washington State in 2018 and lived there for a few years. They later moved to a West Virginia property in May 2023.
Image credits: West Virginia Regional Jail
Suspicious neighbors raised the alarm after watching the children being mistreated.
They requested a child welfare check around five months into the family moving to the new Sissonville address.
Deputies from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene while the couple were not at home.
Neighbors raised the alarm, leading deputies to find two of the adopted siblings locked in a shed
Image credits: NBC News/WSAZ
After forcing their way inside the property, deputies found the oldest sibling, a 16-year-old girl, and her 14-year-old brother locked up in a shed.
The children were forced to sleep on the bare concrete floor and had “no means to exit” on their own. A crowbar was used to set them free.
There was “no running water, no bathroom facilities, and [they] were obviously deprived of adequate hygienic care and food,” the sheriff’s department said in an October 2023 statement.
Image credits: NBC News/WSAZ
Meanwhile, inside the house, a nine-year-old girl was found crying in a loft alone with nothing to protect her from falling.
Lantz later returned with a fourth child, while the fifth child was found at a friend’s home.
Neighbors said they never saw the children playing, as they were “forced to perform farm labor and were not permitted inside the residence,” an official filing said.
When Lantz noticed the neighbors’ interest piquing, the kids were mostly kept indoors.
The convicted couple were accused of forcing the children to perform strenuous chores outside the house
Image credits: WCHS Eyewitness News
Whitefeather and Lantz were accused of pepper spraying the children when they didn’t obey, and forced them to stand for hours with their hands on their heads.
Deputies found the children in a filthy state and smelling of body odor. The eldest sister revealed that they would rarely take baths, and she went about two months without showering or brushing her teeth.
Their diet was mostly composed of peanut butter sandwiches, sometimes leftovers from previous meals.
Image credits: NBC News/WSAZ
The eldest daughter, now an adult, said she and her siblings had to dig with their bare hands.
They were cursed at “all the time,” with Jeanne often hurling racist slurs at them, she said.
While describing their living situation, the sibling said she and her teenage brother shared a room with each other.
“I want you to know that you are a monster,” the oldest sibling said in court
Image credits: WCHS Eyewitness News
They were forced to sleep on the floor and use the same bucket for their toilet needs, according to her testimony.
She noted that they would hold up a sheet for privacy to avoid appearing in the home’s security camera footage while using the bucket.
The youngest of the five siblings said they watched a lot of the mistreatment and was “taught to laugh at” it.
"Everything was not right with Jeanne and Donald,” the child said in their impact statement.
Image credits: WCHS Eyewitness News
The couple’s legal team argued that Whitefeather and Lantz were overwhelmed by the children’s pre-existing trauma and mental health struggles from their biological home.
Mark Plants, Whitefeather’s attorney, said in the closing argument that his client and her husband merely made some poor parenting choices.
The couple’s legal team downplayed the children’s treatment, and Whitefeather apologized to the children in court
Image credits: NBC News/WSAZ
“These are farm people that do farm chores,” the attorney said. “It wasn’t about race. It wasn’t about forced labor.”
Of the five adopted kids, one of the middle children called the couple “horrible” in their impact statement.
“I will be something amazing,” said the child. “I will be strong and beautiful. You will always be exactly what you are—horrible.”
Image credits: NBC News/WSAZ
“I’ll never understand how you can sleep at night,” the oldest said in court. “I want you to know that you are a monster.”
During the sentencing, Whitefeather apologized to the children and claimed she never did anything “to harm them intentionally.”
“I just want the court to know that I have made mistakes I am very sorry for that … Children, I do love you,” she said.
I have made mistakes I am very sorry for that … Children, I do love you,” Whitefeather said
Image credits: WCHS Eyewitness News
Whitefeather was sentenced to 215 years behind bars and will be eligible for parole after serving 40 years.
Lantz received a prison term of up to 160 years and will be eligible for parole in 30.
Image credits: NBC News/WSAZ
“You brought these children to West Virginia, a place that I know as ‘Almost Heaven,’ and you put them in hell. This court will now put you in yours,” Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers said in court.
“And may God have mercy on your souls,” she added. “Because this court will not.”
Netizens were shocked to read the news, saying “This story is heartbreaking”
