Teenager Found 'Like a Skeleton' in Alleged House of Horrors
A 14-year-old girl, weighing a mere 2.5 stone (35lbs), has been rescued from a harrowing situation in Wisconsin, where her obese family members are accused of holding her captive and deliberately denying her food as punishment. Officials stated the teenager looked 'like a skeleton' and was 'literally just skin and bones'.
Police Discover Severely Malnourished Child
When officers arrived at the property, they discovered the girl in a state of severe malnourishment. According to police documents, her collar bone, rib cage, hip, and cheek bones were extremely prominent, and her frame was comparable to that of a child aged six to eight years old. The average weight for a 14-year-old girl is approximately 9 stone, making her condition profoundly alarming.
The situation came to light on August 21 when the girl's biological father, Walter Goodman, 47, reportedly sought help after the teen became sick and 'comatose', having allegedly gone without food for several days. Emergency responders rushed her to a hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with a catalogue of serious health issues, including hepatitis, multiple organ dysfunction, and life-threatening severe malnutrition.
Family's Chilling Comments and Alleged Abuse
When confronted about his daughter's shocking state, Walter Goodman is claimed to have told authorities that 'she doesn't like to eat' and that he had discontinued doctor's care because one physician was 'weird'. He allegedly told a friend, 'If she misbehaves, I'm not going to feed her. I keep her locked up in her bedroom with a camera on her, and that's where she stays.'
Text messages between the four accused adults—Walter Goodman, his wife Melissa Goodman, 51, her daughter Savanna Lefever, 29, and Lefever's girlfriend Kayla Stemler, 28—hint at further disturbing abuse. In one exchange, Stemler allegedly wrote, 'Just so you know [victim's name] was taking more than one bite at a time... so I used the belt.' Walter Goodman is also alleged to have chillingly commented, 'If I could leave her somewhere in the woods, I'd leave her.'
The family is accused of locking the girl in her bedroom, which reportedly lacked a mattress, and systematically depriving her of food and water as a form of punishment. Nurses later confirmed the girl had no resistance to food and suggested Goodman would become angry with her if she ate too much.
Charges and Recovery
The teenager has since been removed from the home and is on the road to recovery after being released into the care of another family. All four adults have been charged with chronic child neglect and are currently being held in jail on a cash bail set at $100,000 (approximately £76,627). Outagamie County assistant district attorney, Julie DuQuaine, provided the stark description of the victim, emphasising the severity of the neglect.
