Donald Ray Lantz and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, a couple from West Virginia, face serious charges for allegedly enslaving their adopted Black children, forcing them to perform labor, and confining them in inhumane conditions.
This case has raised significant concerns about racial targeting and human trafficking.
Lantz, 63, and Whitefeather, 62, were initially arrested in October 2023. Recently, they faced additional charges, including human trafficking of a minor, using minors in forced labor, and child endangerment through neglect, according to reports from West Virginia MetroNews.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to these charges in Kanawha County court on Tuesday.
The investigation began after a neighbor alerted Child Protective Services, reporting that the teenagers were confined in a shed at the couple’s home in Sissonville.
Other neighbors supported these claims, alleging that the children were forced to perform farm work and were not permitted inside the house.
Deputies responding to the scene found the children living in appalling conditions, locked in the shed without proper sanitation or running water.
The indictment details that the children were forced to sleep on the floor and had been confined for approximately 12 hours at a time.
During the investigation, deputies discovered a 9-year-old girl at the property. Later, Lantz was found returning home with an 11-year-old boy.
Additionally, authorities located a 6-year-old girl who had been staying with acquaintances of the couple from church.
Court proceedings have emphasized the severe human rights violations, particularly the racial targeting, as all the children involved are Black.
“Human rights violations specific to the fact that these children were targeted because of their race and they were used basically as slaves from what the indictment alleges,” stated Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers.
Following arguments from prosecutors that the original bonds were financed through illegal means, the judge raised Lantz and Whitefeather’s bonds to $500,000 each.
Both defendants were subsequently taken back into custody.
This case highlights the critical need for vigilance and swift action in protecting vulnerable children from exploitation and abuse.
