Rich white couple allegedly kept their adopted black children as slaves and locked them in a barn: report

A wealthy white West Virginia couple forced their adopted black children to work as slaves and sleep in a barn, according to disturbing accusations.

Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to more than a dozen new charges after two teenagers were found locked in a ruined shed with shabby clothes, MetroNews reported .

Lantz and Whitefeather were first arrested in October after a well-being check led to the discovery of the couple's five adopted children – ages 6, 9, 11, 14 and 16 – living in deplorable conditions on their property in Sissonville.

The indictment, which Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers said is one of the worst she has ever seen, alleges that the adopted children were forced to work on the farmlands of the couple because of their race.

“He alleges human trafficking, human rights violations and the use of forced labor,” Akers told the court.

“Human rights violations specific to the fact that these children were targeted because of their race and used essentially as slaves, as alleged in the indictment. »

The couple faces numerous 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 even death. dead.

Whitefeather and Lantz were arrested after a neighbor called child protection and claimed two teenagers were locked in a shed at the couple's Sissonville home, according to a court filing, WCHS reported.

“Neighbors also reported that the children were forced to do farm work and were not allowed into the residence,” the filing states.

Police found a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl locked in the shed. Inside was a small RV porta potty, but with no light or running water. One of the teens told police they were locked in the barn for 12 hours during their last meal.

Both men said the couple forced them to sleep on the concrete floor, without mattresses. They both wore dirty clothes and smelled of body odor, police noted, according to the filing.

The girl was wearing shoes while the 14-year-old boy had “open sores on his bare feet,” according to court documents.

A 9-year-old girl was found by police inside the main residence. Three hours later, Lantz arrived with an 11-year-old boy. Whitefeather quickly followed with a 6-year-old girl who had knowledge.

Whitefeather told deputies the two teens were locked in the outhouse, but claimed they “loved it” and called it a “clubhouse.”

The children described ongoing abuse at the West Virginia home and at their parents' other residence in Washington state.

Prosecutors also said they had evidence the couple left Washington after learning they were under investigation for abuse and neglect.

Judge Akers decided to increase their bail early after the prosecution alleged their original cash bails were obtained through trafficking profits after the couple was able to post $400,000 bail for their release from prison in February, according to Metro News.

Assistant Kanawha County Prosecutor Christopher Krivonyak said the couple sold an 80-acre ranch in Tonasket, Washington, for $725,000 on Feb. 2.

Whitefeather's brother posted two $200,000 bonds to get the couple out of South Central Regional Jail three days later.

On March 28, prosecutors said the couple sold the Sissonville home where they were arrested for $295,000. Prosecutors argued that even if the bail money came from a legitimate source, its intended use was human trafficking and forced labor.

Krivonyak argued the money should be transferred from state custody to a trust fund for children.

Lantz and Whitefeather were returned to custody after their bail was increased to $500,000 each.