Convicted of forced labor, human trafficking, and child abuse
A white couple from West Virginia has been sentenced to a combined 375 years in prison for subjecting their five adopted Black children to forced labor on their farm while verbally abusing them with racial slurs.
Jeanne Kay Whitefeather was sentenced to up to 215 years in prison, while her husband, Donald Lantz, received up to 160 years—the maximum penalty—after being convicted in January of forced labor, human trafficking, child abuse, and neglect.
“You brought these children to West Virginia, a place that I know as ‘Almost Heaven,’ and you put them in hell. This court will now put you in yours,” Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers told the couple during sentencing.
“And may God have mercy on your souls. Because this court will not.”
Emotional statements from victims
During the sentencing, the four eldest children shared emotional letters recounting the lasting trauma they endured. The eldest daughter, now 18, directly addressed her adoptive parents, saying, “I’ll never understand how you can sleep at night. I want you to know that you are a monster.”
Last month, she also filed a lawsuit against the couple, alleging severe physical and emotional abuse that has left her permanently scarred.
Whitefeather and Lantz adopted the siblings in Minnesota before moving to a farm in Washington State in 2018. In May 2023, they relocated to Sissonville, West Virginia, when the children were between the ages of 5 and 16.
Discovery of abuse and arrests
The couple was arrested in October 2023 after a child welfare report led authorities to discover two of the teenagers—the eldest daughter and her teenage brother—locked inside a shed at their home.
When police forced open the shed’s door with a crowbar, they found a porta potty but no electricity or running water. One of the teens told authorities they had been locked in the structure and deprived of food for 12 hours.
Inside the main house, officers found a 9-year-old girl crying alone in a loft. Three hours later, Lantz arrived with an 11-year-old boy, followed by Whitefeather with a 5-year-old girl.
All five black children were placed under the care of Child Protective Services.
Evidence of forced labor and racial abuse
Judge Akers stated last year that “these children were targeted because of their race, and they were used basically as slaves.”
Neighbors testified that they never saw the children playing, only standing in line or performing hard labor. When Lantz became aware of their curiosity, he kept the children indoors, prosecutors said.
The oldest daughter testified that most of the forced labor took place at the couple’s previous residence in Washington, where they were made to dig with their hands. She also stated they were subjected to constant verbal abuse, including racist slurs from Whitefeather.
The black children were fed mostly peanut butter sandwiches at scheduled times, and some were made to stand in their rooms for hours with their hands on their heads. The two oldest siblings were forced to sleep on the floor and use a bucket as a toilet while holding up a sheet for privacy from home security cameras.
The defense argues overwhelmed parenting
The couple’s defense attorneys claimed they were unprepared to care for the black children, who had suffered previous abuse from their biological parents.
Whitefeather’s attorney, Mark Plants, argued during closing statements that the couple’s only crime was poor parenting.
“These are farm people that do farm chores,” Plants said. “It wasn’t about race. It wasn’t about forced labor.”