Wisconsin prosecutors have charged four people, two of whom they described as “extremely obese,” with allegedly starving and neglecting a 14-year-old girl until she weighed only 35 pounds.
Forty-seven-year-old Walter Goodman lived with his wife, his stepdaughter, and her female partner in a home in Oneida in Outagamie County that one court official described as a “house of horrors.”
‘These allegations before the court today are incredibly disturbing. And it’s alleged that the minor child was quite frankly living in a house of horrors.’
Goodman called emergency services in August to report that his daughter had been sick.
A dispatcher described the call as, “Fourteen-year-old child who does not eat much has been sick, vomiting, and lethargic. Now unresponsive.”
First responders said the teenager appeared to be the “size of a 6- to 8-year-old,” according to the criminal complaint.
“She was very, very close to death. Again, 35 pounds at 14 years old,” said Assistant District Attorney Julie DuQuaine of Outagamie County in court.
The girl was airlifted to Children’s Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, where doctors treated her for extreme malnutrition.
“This is the most egregious case of child neglect I think I have ever personally seen in my nearly 25-year career,” DuQuaine said.
Investigators said that the teenager had lived with her father since 2020 but had never gone to school or seen a doctor. Goodman said that she had lived with her biological mother until the mother was sent to jail and he got full custody. He also claimed that the teen had an eating disorder.
“She don’t eat. She’s autistic,” he is quoted as saying.
However, texts obtained by police showed that the people in the home referred to her as “dummy” and “stupid” when communicating about her eating schedule.
“We gave her a (expletive) shake last night bc I felt bad and of course she was laying nice and quiet to get what she wanted,” texted 29-year-old Savanna Lefever, Goodman’s stepdaughter.
“Yes, she’s a manipulative. That’s how she works,” responded Melissa Goodman.
The criminal complaint described Lefever and Melissa Goodman as being “extremely obese to the point of being nearly bed-bound and rarely left the residence.” Lefever’s 27-year-old partner Kayla Stemler is the only person who left the home to go to work.
“But for the grace of God, she did not die,” said Outagamie County Court Commissioner Brian Figgy.
“Quite frankly, these allegations before the court today are incredibly disturbing. And it’s alleged that the minor child was quite frankly living in a house of horrors,” he added.
All four of the adults face five counts of chronic child neglect.
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Outagamie county wisconsin, Child neglect starvation, Walter goodman arrest, Extreme child abuse, Crime
