Sissonville, WV (WOAY)- A West Virginia couple received the maximum sentences for abusing their adopted children.
A Kanawha county court sentenced Jeanne Kay Whitefeather up to 215 years in prison and her husband, Donald Ray Lantz, up to 160 years.
The couple was found guilty of forced labor, human trafficking, and child abuse and neglect.
Whitefeather also was convicted of civil rights violations.
According to testimony, some children performed difficult chores and had to stand for hours with their hands on their heads.
The couple adopted five black siblings while living in Minnesota and moved to a farm in Washington state in 2018.
They then brought the family to West Virginia in May 2023, when the children ranged from ages 5 to 16.
The discovery of the abuse came to light in October 2023 when neighbors saw Lantz lock the eldest daughter and her teenage brother in a shed and leave the property.
A deputy used a crowbar to get them out.
Inside the home, authorities discovered a 9-year-old girl crying in a loft alone with no protection from falling, according to a criminal complaint.
Deputies report finding the children were in dirty clothes and smelling of body odor, and the oldest boy was found barefoot with what appeared to be sores on his feet.
The couple was found guilty of mistreating the children by locking them in a shed, forcing them to sleep on the floor, use buckets as toilets, and stand for hours with their hands on their heads.
One of the children has filed a formal complaint against them, seeking damages in the case’s aftermath.
The complaint cites that while in the couple’s custody, the child experienced significant physical and emotional injuries.
They seek damages to cover past and future medical expenses and physical and emotional suffering.
