A West Virginia couple is currently on trial, facing multiple felony charges, including forced labor, civil rights violations, human trafficking, and gross child neglect. Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Ray Lantz are accused of mistreating four of their five adopted Black children. The couple, who are white, were arrested in October 2023 after neighbors reported seeing Lantz lock two of the teenage children in a shed on their Sissonville property.

During her testimony, Whitefeather denied confining the children, claiming the shed was a "teenager hangout" and that the teens possessed a key and could leave as they wished. This contradicts the testimony of the eldest daughter, now 18, who stated she was unaware of any key. A detective previously testified that a key was discovered hidden atop a cabinet inside the shed. The daughter also testified that the children were given peanut butter sandwiches at specific times and were prohibited from eating outside those times, even if they were hungry. Whitefeather countered this, saying the children had access to the refrigerator and that she cooked meals every night.

Following their arrest, all five children were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services. The family initially adopted the siblings in Minnesota, then relocated to a Washington state farm in 2018 before settling in West Virginia in 2023. At the time of the arrest, the children’s ages ranged from five to 16. The oldest son is currently receiving full-time care at a psychiatric facility.