A woman in Charleston, West Virginia, is currently on trial along with her husband for allegedly mistreating their adopted children, who are all Black. The couple, who are white, are facing multiple felony charges including forced labor, civil rights violations, human trafficking, and gross child neglect.
The incident came to light in October 2023 when neighbors reported seeing the husband lock two of the children, a teenage boy and girl, in a shed on their property in Sissonville. The woman, Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, denied confining the children to the shed, claiming it was a 'teenager hangout' and that they had access to a key to come and go as they pleased.
However, the oldest daughter, now 18, testified that she was unaware of the key's existence, which was later found hidden on top of a cabinet in the shed by a detective. She also mentioned that the children were only given peanut butter sandwiches at scheduled times and were not allowed to eat at other times, even if they were hungry.
Whitefeather countered these claims by stating that the children had access to the refrigerator and that she cooked food for them every night. The couple adopted the five siblings while living in Minnesota and later moved to a farm in Washington state in 2018 before relocating to West Virginia in 2023 when the children were between the ages of 5 and 16.
Following the arrest of the couple, all five children were placed under the care of Child Protective Services. The oldest boy is currently receiving full-time care in a psychiatric facility. The trial continues as Whitefeather and her husband, Donald Ray Lantz, face the serious allegations brought against them.
