- Couple convicted on forced labor, trafficking, and civil rights charges
- Children endured racial abuse, confinement, and extreme neglect
- System failures in child welfare services highlighted during trial
A Kanawha County jury delivered a staggering verdict in January, finding Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Lantz guilty of multiple felonies related to the abuse of their five adopted children. The case has exposed critical gaps in cross-state child welfare oversight, particularly for transracial adoptions.
Neighbors in Sissonville alerted authorities after witnessing two teenagers being locked in an outdoor shed during October 2023. Deputies discovered malnourished children wearing soiled clothing, with one child found unsupervised in a dangerous loft area. Forensic analysis revealed the children had endured this treatment since their 2018 relocation to a Washington farm.
The prosecution emphasized racial motivations, noting Whitefeather’s civil rights violations for subjecting Black children to racist slurs and differential treatment. This case mirrors a 2021 Ohio incident where adoptive parents received 25-year sentences for similar offenses, underscoring Appalachian states’ challenges in monitoring interstate adoptions.
Child development experts stress that prolonged trauma from ‘disciplinary’ forced labor often leads to complex PTSD, particularly in children removed from biological homes. The victims’ current psychiatric care needs highlight the long-term consequences of institutional trust breaches in adoption systems.
Despite defense claims of being overwhelmed parents, prosecutors proved the couple actively avoided local mental health resources. With sentencing guidelines suggesting de facto life terms, this case may prompt legislative reforms for multi-state adoption tracking.
