Couple accused of using 5 adopted Black children 'basically as slaves' in West Virginia

A West Virginia couple has been accused of adopting five Black children and using them for labor as if they were "slaves," according to a 17-count indictment.

Jeanne Whitefeather, 62, and Donald Lantz, 63, were charged in October 2023 with gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury, Kanawha County Magistrate Court records show. The couple appeared in court on June 11 to face more charges, including human trafficking of a minor child, use of a minor child in forced labor, and child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death, the indictment obtained by USA TODAY says.

“It alleges human trafficking, human rights violations, the use of forced labor,” Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers said during the hearing, per West Virginia MetroNews . “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.”

Akers doubled the couples' bond from $250,000 to $500,000 each. Whitefeather and Lantz remain in the South Central Regional Jail after being booked on June 11, inmate records show. Their trial is scheduled for Sept. 9.

USA TODAY contacted Whitefeather's and Lantz's defense attorneys Friday afternoon but did not receive a response.

Kanawha County sheriff says Whitefeather and Lantz kept children locked inside barn

When Kanawha County sheriff's deputies responded to a call at Whitefeather's and Lantz's home at 5:46 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2023, they found two children locked inside a barn, according to a Facebook post shared by the department . Deputies forced entry into the barn and discovered a teenage boy and a teenage girl inside the 20x14 foot room, the sheriff's office added.

"The children had no means to exit the barn on their own, no running water, no bathroom facilities and were obviously deprived of adequate hygienic care and food," according to the Facebook post.

During the June 11 arraignment hearing, Whitefeather's attorney, Mark Plants, called the barn where the 14 and 16-year-old were found locked in a “teenage clubhouse” and said the whole situation was "just a plain and simple misunderstanding" as a key was in the shed the entire time, MetroNews reported.

"I was repulsed, for the lack of a better term," Deputy H.K. Burdette, who responded to the barn in 2023, testified during a preliminary hearing, per WSAZ . "As soon as the door was open, the heat from inside hit us. The smell made my eyes water. It was terrible without running water, circulating air, or beds.”

At the couple's main residence, deputies found another small child locked inside an unprotected loft alone that was 15 feet high, the sheriff's office said.

No caretakers were at the scene when the deputies arrived, but Whitefeather and Lantz later arrived at the home and were subsequently arrested, according to the social media post.

How did Whitefeather and Lantz adopt the children?

Whitefeather, Lantz and the children had recently moved to West Virginia from the state of Washington, WSAZ reported , citing the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office. All five children were home-schooled, according to the TV station.

Before their arrests in October 2023, Whitefeather and Lantz had no prior criminal history in West Virginia, the sheriff's office told WSAZ.

Although no criminal charges were filed, the sheriff's office did confirm that two complaints, one in May 2023, and the other in September 2023, were made against the couple, according to the TV station.

Neighbors reported in 2023 that the children were forced to perform farm labor and were not allowed inside the main house, MetroNews reported.

The teens found inside the barn said they were locked inside for about 12 hours and were told to sleep on the bare concrete floor, according to the outlet. The teenagers were dirty, had a strong body odor and the 14-year-old had "open sores on his feet," MetroNews said.

The ages of the adoptive children were 6, 9, 11, 14, and 16, according to MetroNews, citing the sheriff's office.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Couple accused of using 5 adopted Black children 'basically as slaves' in West Virginia