A white couple from West Virginia, Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Lantz, were sentenced to hundreds of years in prison for forcing their five adopted Black children to work as “slaves” on their farm. Circuit Court Judge MaryClaire Akers called their actions “hell” and sentenced Whitefeather to 215 years and Lantz to 160 years in prison. The couple adopted the children from a shelter and moved them from Minnesota to Washington state and then West Virginia in 2023. The abuse was discovered in October 2023 when sheriff’s deputies found two children locked in a shed without adequate care or food. Another girl was found inside the home, and the fifth child was located at a friend’s house. The couple was charged with human trafficking, child neglect, forced labor, and other crimes. Whitefeather apologized during sentencing, but one child called them “monsters” and vowed to overcome the abuse. The youngest child described how they were taught to laugh at their siblings and endure abuse. The couple was ordered to pay $280,000 each in restitution to the victims. The case brought attention to the horrific abuse suffered by the children and the severe consequences for the perpetrators.
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