The adoptive parents of two children who were discovered imprisoned inside a West Virginia barn without running water or restrooms are currently being charged with felony child maltreatment, according to the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
The children were discovered in the shed. (Source: New York Post)
Maltreatment to Children Brings the Step-parents to Prison
According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, an investigation was started on Monday just before 6 p.m. after police received a 911 call about the children’s welfare. The announcement stated that a boy and girl were discovered inside the 20-by-14-foot compartment after a sheriff’s deputy broke into the Sissonville barn. According to authorities, the step-parents were arrested for maltreatment of the children, confined inside without access to food, drink, restrooms, or proper hygiene supplies. According to the announcement, a second tiny child was discovered trapped inside the main residence by themselves.
Upon their arrival, the adoptive parents, Donald Ray Lantz, 61, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 61, were taken into custody on felony counts of egregious child neglect, according to the sheriff’s release. According to Sgt. Joshua Lester, the couple has five adopted children, ages six to sixteen, according to CNN. When Lantz and Whitefeather arrived, one child was with them, while another was with a different caregiver.
According to Lester, Child Protective Services was given immediate custody of all five of the children. At this point, CNN is unable to ascertain whether Lantz and Whitefeather have retained legal counsel. They each have a $200,000 bond and are being held at Charleston, West Virginia’s South Central Regional Jail. About 15 miles to the north of Charleston is Sissonville
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