A white couple from West Virginia have been accused of child abuse for allegedly forcing their adopted black children to work as ‘slaves’ and confining them in a barn.
Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in Kanawha County court on Tuesday, including human trafficking of a minor child, forced labour with a minor child, and child neglect posing a significant risk of serious bodily injury or death, according to local news outlet Metro News.
They are also facing claims of human rights crimes, including intentionally targeting black youngsters and forcing them to work because of their race, according to Metro News.
According to the indictment, Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers stated that the children were “used basically as slaves”.
The couple were originally arrested in October 2023 when a wellness check revealed that two of their five adopted children – ages six, nine, eleven, fourteen, and sixteen – were living in inhumane conditions on a property in Sissonville.
In a prior court statement, Whitefeather claimed that the barn where the 14 and 16-year-olds were discovered was a “teenage clubhouse” and denied that they were locked inside as slaves.
A nine-year-old girl was discovered inside the main house before Lantz arrived with an 11-year-old boy and Whitefeather returned with a six-year-old.
Their bail has been set at $500,000 each, up from the previous amount of $200,000.
A trial date for the couple has been set for 9 September.
