Couple used black children as 'slaves' in Kanawha County, West Virginia: indictment

Lina Portman6 days ago

0 3 minutes read

Jeanne Whitefeather, 62, and Donald Lantz, 63, face a series of charges in West Virginia for allegedly using their five adopted black children “essentially as slaves.”

A West Virginia couple was accused of adopting five black children and using them as if they were “slaves,” according to a 17-count indictment.

Jeanne Whitefeather, 62, and Donald Lantz, 63, were charged in October 2023 with gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury, according to Kanawha County Magistrate Court records. The couple appeared in court on June 11 to face other charges, including human trafficking of a minor child, use of a minor child in forced labor and child neglect creating a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death, according to the indictment obtained by USA TODAY. .

“There are allegations of human trafficking, human rights violations and the use of forced labor,” Kanawha County Judge Maryclaire Akers said during the hearing, according to West Virginia MetroNews. “Human rights violations specific to the fact that these children were targeted because of their race and used essentially as slaves, the indictment alleges. »

Akers doubled the couples' bail from $250,000 to $500,000 each. Whitefeather and Lantz remain in South Central Regional Jail after being booked June 11, according to inmate records. Their trial is scheduled for September 9.

USA TODAY contacted attorneys for Whitefeather and Lantz Friday afternoon but did not receive a response.

Kanawha County Sheriff says Whitefeather and Lantz kept children locked in barn

When Kanawha County sheriff's deputies responded to a call at Whitefeather and Lantz's home at 5:46 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2023, they found two children locked in a barn, according to a Facebook post shared by the department. Deputies forced entry into the barn and discovered a teenage boy and girl inside the 20-by-14-foot room, the sheriff's office added.

“The children had no way to get out of the barn on their own, no running water, no toilets and were obviously deprived of proper hygiene and food,” the Facebook post said.

During the June 11 arraignment hearing, Whitefeather's attorney, Mark Plants, called the barn where the 14- and 16-year-olds were found locked a “teen clubhouse” and said the whole situation was “just a simple, simple misunderstanding” that the key was in the shed the whole time, MetroNews reported.

“I was disgusted, for lack of a better term,” Assemblyman HK Burdette, who visited the barn in 2023, testified during a preliminary hearing, according to WSAZ. “As soon as the door was opened, the heat from inside hit us. The smell made me cry. It was terrible with no running water, no air circulation, no beds. »

At the couple's primary residence, officers found another small child locked alone in an unprotected attic 15 feet up, the sheriff's office said.

No guards were on scene when officers arrived, but Whitefeather and Lantz later arrived at the home and were subsequently arrested, according to the social media post.

How did Whitefeather and Lantz adopt the children?

Whitefeather, Lantz and the children had recently moved from Washington state to West Virginia, WSAZ reported, citing the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office. All five children were home-schooled, the television station said.

Prior to their arrest in October 2023, Whitefeather and Lantz had no criminal history in West Virginia, the sheriff's office told WSAZ.

While no criminal charges have been filed, the sheriff's office confirmed that two complaints, one in May 2023 and the other in September 2023, were filed against the couple, according to the television station.

Neighbors reported in 2023 that the children were forced to do farm work and were not allowed into the main house, MetroNews reported.

The teens found in the barn said they were locked in for about 12 hours and told to sleep on the concrete floor, the outlet reported. The teens were dirty, had strong body odor, and the 14-year-old had “open sores on his feet,” MetroNews reported.

The ages of the adopted children were 6, 9, 11, 14 and 16, according to MetroNews, citing the sheriff's office.

Jeanne Whitefeather, 62, and Donald Lantz, 63, face a series of charges in West Virginia for allegedly using their five adopted black children “essentially as slaves.”

Kanawha County Sheriff says Whitefeather and Lantz kept children locked in barn

How did Whitefeather and Lantz adopt the children?

Lina Portman

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