Midwestern Children Adopted by White Couple & Forced Into “Slave Labor”

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS ACCOUNTS OF SEVERE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE AGAINST MULTIPLE MINORS

It is absolutely shocking that any child would have to undergo this kind of cruelty, especially from someone who was meant to protect them.

Earlier this month a West Virginia couple that had been already found guilty of human trafficking and child neglect received the maximum prison sentence, according to the local media outlet WSAZ.

Jeanne Whitefeather and Donald Lantz received a combined prison sentence of 375 years in prison.

You read that correctly...THREE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE years.

What they did to earn that sentence will shock you to your core. I know it did for me.

How Authorities Discovered the Horrific Child Abuse in West Virginia

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Two years ago, a neighbor of the couple called in a report to the local county sheriff's department.

This neighbor claimed she saw Lantz lock his children in his shed on their property in Sissonville, West Virginia and leave, according to a report from NBC News.

Law enforcement officers arrived on the scene for a wellness check and were shocked at what they found.

What Investigators Found at the West Virginia Property

The two teens (aged 14 and 16 at the time) were in fact locked in the shed, and they had no running water, no bathroom, and they told these deputies that they had to sleep out there on the concrete floor.

They had been locked in the shed for twelve hours by the time that the officers arrived. According to a report from WCHS TV, the oldest teen that was being held inside of this shed said they had no eaten anything since 6:00 AM that day.

In addition to these claims from the teenagers, there was video surveillance footage to confirm these allegations.

These officers described the scene and said the teens were "deprived of adequate hygienic care and food."

What Police Found Inside the House Was Even Worse

During this incident in 2023, law enforcement also found another child, aged nine, in the Lantz and Whitefeather home.

This little girl was reportedly found crying in a loft alone in the home. There was nothing protecting her from falling, according to a report from MPR.

Once Lantz returned, he had an eleven-year-old boy with him and also directed law enforcement to the fifth child in their care who had been staying at a church friend's home, according to reports.

She was only six years old at the time, officials reported.

How the Children Were Treated Like Slaves in West Virginia

All of the children had dirty clothes, smelled of body odor, and were reportedly fed a "steady diet of peanut butter sandwiches at scheduled times, some left over from a previous meal."

In addition, the oldest daughter alleges that her and her brother were forced to sleep on the floor and use the same bucket to relieve themselves.

Minnesota Adoption and How the Couple Gained Custody of the Children

The white couple adopted the children from a shelter for homeless youths while they were living in Minnesota, according to MPR. Lantz and Whitefeather moved the entire family unit to an 80-acre ranch in Washington State in 2018 and then to West Virginia in 2023.

The indictment for this case alleged that the children were targeted due to their race and were forced to work as "slaves," according to the sixteen-count indictment. 

From Minnesota to West Virginia and How the Abuse Spanned Multiple States

They were forced to do hard farm labor and were not allowed in the residence. In a statement from the oldest girl involved in the case, she claimed that all of the children had racist remarks shouted at them.

The Legal Fallout and What Were the Criminal Charges

Several years later both Lantz and Whitefeather have been charged with human trafficking and child neglect.

Lantz was sentenced to 160 years in prison for these crimes and his wife Whitefeather will have to serve 215 years.

Where Are the Children Now and Life After Escaping the Abuse

Reports confirm that the couple has to pay each individual child $280,000. All of the children are doing much better now and are trying to move on from the horrific experiences they went through with this couple.

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