By Marielis Acevedo
05 Oct 2023, 2:04 PM EDT
The adoptive parents of two West Virginia children who were found dirty and smelly locked in a barn face criminal charges.
Donald Lantz and Jeanne Whitefeather, ages 63 and 61, respectively, were arrested and charged with gross child neglect following the discovery Monday.
A statement from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office notes that the floor of the space was concrete and there were no beds. A third minor was found locked alone in a 15-foot-high warehouse in the home.
WCHS television reported that agents began an investigation after someone called 911 to report that children were locked in the shed for days and could not enter the house.
When officers arrived at the home in the 200 block of Cheyenne Lane in Sissonville around 5:45 p.m., the parents were not there.
The police forced entry into the barn and found a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy locked in the 20×14-foot space. At this time, the age of the third minor is unknown, but he could be 5 or 6 years old.
“It’s a very bad case,” County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Josh Lester described to the outlet. “You know, any kind of situation like this is not really comparable to the horrendous conditions. It’s just not how you want or how you expect children to be raised or cared for,” he added.
There was no water, food or sanitary facilities in the facility.
When the suspects returned to the house at night they were arrested.
The minors remain in the custody of Child Protective Services.
The defendants were held on bail of $200,000. The preliminary hearing of the case was scheduled for October 12.