Melissa Goodman (Outagamie Co. Jail)
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Melissa Goodman became the fourth person charged with child abuse for the treatment of a 14-year-old girl who was taken to the hospital weighing just 35 pounds.
Goodman, along with Walter Goodman, Savanna LeFever and Kayla Stemler, each face three counts of chronic neglect of a child, consequence is great bodily harm, and two counts of chronic neglect of a child, consequence is emotional damage.
Goodman made an initial court appearance Thursday, where a $150,000 cash bond was set. She returns to court next Thursday for a status conference.
Walter Goodman is the girl’s father. Melissa Goodman is his wife, but not the victim’s mother. LeFever is Melissa Goodman’s adult daughter, and Stemler is her partner.
Walter Goodman and Stemler have a preliminary hearings Wednesday. Lefever has a preliminary hearing next Thursday.
The criminal complaint says Goodman called 911 in August to report his daughter, who he said is autistic, was lethargic, moaning and almost comatose.
According to the criminal complaint, the first officer on scene at the Hattie Lane home said the girl looked to be only six to eight years old.
Hospital employees said she weighed less than 40 pounds.
“The last time she saw a medical provider was approximately five years before this incident came to light,” Assistant District Attorney Julie DuQuaine said in court Tuesday. “She was very, very close to death — 35 pounds at 14 years old.”
The complaint said Walter Goodman told authorities his daughter didn’t like to eat or sleep. He claimed they’d offer her meals, but she wouldn’t eat.
Hospital employees said the teen suffered from severe malnutrition. She had signs of multiorgan dysfunction, including respiratory failure, cardiac dysfunction, severe acute hepatitis and pancreatitis, among other issues.
The criminal complaint said while the girl was hospitalized, one of the nurses explained to the victim she would get three meals a day. The nurse noted the girl’s “eyes lit up as she started listing off all the options of food she could have over the course of her hospitalization.”
The girl then said her dad would be so mad because he doesn’t like when she eats so much.
The criminal complaint also includes a litany of text messages by the defendants, calling the victim a “dummy” and “stupid.”
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