Kayla Stemler appears in Outagamie County court, Dec. 2 2025. (Photo courtesy: Outagamie County court/Zoom)
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A preliminary hearing was postponed Tuesday for Kayla Stemler, one of four people charged with the alleged abuse of a 14-year-old girl who was hospitalized weighing just 35 pounds.
All four suspects 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.
Tony Cross, Stemler’s attorney, said Tuesday he wants more time to prepare for the hearing. The case returns to court Dec. 19. Either the preliminary hearing will be waived then, or scheduled for another date.
The others charged in the case are:
- Walter Goodman, the victim’s father; preliminary hearing Jan. 5
- Melissa Goodman, Goodman’s wife but not the victim’s mother; status conference Dec. 11
- Savanna LeFever, Melissa Goodman’s daughter; preliminary hearing Dec. 19
Stemler is LeFever’s partner.
The victim’s relatives say the girl is now staying with family on her mother’s side and is continuing to recover.
The criminal complaint says that Walter Goodman called 911 in August to report his daughter 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 6 to 8 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 at a previous court hearing. “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 included a litany of text messages by the defendants, calling the victim a “dummy” and “stupid.”
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