Walter Goodman and his wife, along with their stepdaughter Savanna Lefever and her partner Kayla Stemler, face charges for allegedly starving a 14-year-old girl until she weighed only 35 pounds. The home in Oneida, Outagamie County, was described as a “house of horrors” by court officials.
The teenager appeared to be the “size of a 6- to 8-year-old,” according to the criminal complaint. Assistant District Attorney Julie DuQuaine stated, “This is the most egregious case of child neglect I think I have ever personally seen in my nearly 25-year career.” The girl was airlifted to Children’s Wisconsin in Wauwatosa for extreme malnutrition.
Goodman called emergency services in August to report that his daughter had been sick, with a dispatcher describing the call as, “Fourteen-year-old child who does not eat much has been sick, vomiting, and lethargic. Now unresponsive.”
Investigations revealed the teenager had lived with her father since 2020 but never went to school or seen a doctor. Goodman claimed she had an eating disorder, stating, “She don’t eat. She’s autistic.” However, texts obtained by police showed the people in the home referred to her as “dummy” and “stupid” when communicating about her eating schedule.
“We gave her a (expletive) shake last night bc I felt bad and of course she was laying nice and quiet to get what she wanted,” texted 29-year-old Savanna Lefever, Goodman’s stepdaughter. “Yes, she’s a manipulative. That’s how she works,” responded Melissa Goodman.
The criminal complaint described Lefever and Melissa Goodman as being “extremely obese to the point of being nearly bed-bound and rarely left the residence.” Lefever’s 27-year-old partner Kayla Stemler is the only person who left the home to go to work.
All four of the adults face five counts of chronic child neglect. “But for the grace of God, she did not die,” said Outagamie County Court Commissioner Brian Figgy. “Quite frankly, these allegations before the court today are incredibly disturbing. And it’s alleged that the minor child was quite frankly living in a house of horrors.”
