In a shocking case, a wealthy white couple from West Virginia has been charged with forcing their adopted black children into slavery and making them sleep in a barn. Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, pleaded not guilty to over a dozen charges on Tuesday after two teens were found in squalid conditions, as reported by MetroNews.
Initial arrest and discovery
Lantz and Whitefeather were first arrested in October following a wellness check that revealed their five adopted children—aged 6, 9, 11, 14, and 16—living in deplorable conditions on their Sissonville property. The recent indictment alleges severe human rights violations, with the children being forced into labor due to their race.
“It alleges human trafficking, human rights violations, the use of forced labor,” Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers stated. “These children were targeted because of their race and used as slaves.”
The couple faces multiple charges, including human trafficking of a minor, forced labor of a minor, and child neglect causing substantial risk of serious injury or death. Police discovered a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl locked in a shed with no lights or running water, forced to sleep on concrete without mattresses. The teens were last fed 12 hours before being found, wearing dirty clothes, and reeking of body odor. The boy had open sores on his feet, while the girl wore shoes.
The couple allegedly forced the children to perform farm labor
A 9-year-old girl was found inside the main residence, and an 11-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl were later brought home by Lantz and Whitefeather. The couple allegedly forced the children to perform farm labor and kept them out of the main residence.
Whitefeather claimed the teens “liked” being in the shed and called it a “clubhouse.” The children reported ongoing abuse at both the West Virginia home and the couple’s other residence in Washington state.
Prosecutors presented evidence that the couple moved from Washington after learning of an investigation for abuse and neglect. They raised concerns about the couple’s cash bonds, alleging the funds came from human trafficking profits. The couple sold an 80-acre ranch in Washington for $725,000 and their Sissonville home for $295,000, securing their release from jail with a $400,000 bond in February.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Krivonyak argued the bond money, regardless of its source, was intended for human trafficking and forced labor. He suggested the funds be placed in a trust for the children.
Current status
Judge Akers raised the couple’s bond to $500,000 each, leading to their re-arrest. The investigation continues as authorities seek justice for the abused children.
Jocelyn’s feet were also bound, and her back was covered in cuts, according to KPRC. Homeland Security sources revealed that Pena Ramos, one of the accused, had cut off his ankle monitor after Jocelyn’s body was found.
“Our immigration system is broken and if there was ever a case that reflected that, it’s this one,” District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
The children’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, expressed her grief, saying, “She had such a bright future ahead of her and these monsters took that opportunity from her, from our family.”
