Police tape covers the porch of a town of Oneida home Nov. 11, 2025, after three adults living there were arrested in a child neglect case. PC: Fox 11 Online
OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Authorities are calling it one of the worst cases of child abuse they’ve ever seen.
A 14-year old girl was found in her home, weighing only 35 pounds.
Preliminary hearings were set Wednesday for Walter Goodman, Savanna LeFever and Kayla Stemler. The trio was charged Tuesday with multiple counts of child neglect.
A fourth suspect, Melissa Goodman, is also now in police custody. In a statement, the chief of the Oneida Police Department said he anticipates child neglect charges will be filed against her later this week.
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.
As the cases against the Goodmans, LeFever and Stemler move forward, the victim of their alleged abuse continues to recover.
“She has now since been released from the hospital and is gaining weight and doing better,” said Outagamie County Assistant District Attorney Julie DuQuaine.
It was in August — more than five years after the victim moved into a trailer on Hattie Lane in the town of Oneida to live with her father — that authorities uncovered what they say was years of abuse. The 14-year old girl nearly starved to death.
“I was able to observe photographs of her, and she looked like a skeleton,” DuQuaine said. “She was just literally skin and bones at 35 pounds.”
Over the course of the last five years, according to the criminal complaint, the victim had very little contact with the outside world.
“She was neglected for a number of years. She has not gone to the doctor since September 2020. She has not been in school since COVID,” said DuQuaine.
The criminal complaint says the victim attended school virtually for one year after COVID before reportedly being homeschooled.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction requires homeschoolers to be registered with the state. Once registered, the DPI says, there is no state statute that requires it, any state agency or school district to monitor home-based education or instructional hours.
Confidentiality prevents DPI officials from confirming if the victim was actually registered for homeschooling.
Kay Kiesling is the division manager for Outagamie County Children Youth and Families. While she can’t speak directly about the town of Oneida neglect case, Kiesling stresses the importance of the community and family members speaking up if they think a child might be in danger, or if that child hasn’t been seen.
“The way the system is, is we’re relying on people to make a report or calling us and letting us know know what’s going on,” Kiesling said. “So, most kids are seen in some some capacity. But yeah, there are some kids that are are not seen. But they have family. You know, let people know if you haven’t seen a family member or a child in a long time.”
Last year alone, Outagamie County says it received more than 4,000 reports of abuse and neglect — with neglect being the largest category. Each case is assessed and the county works with families to overcome obstacles in an effort to keep children in homes safely.
Outagamie County hosts mandatory reporting and supporting trainings virtually for anyone willing to learn.
The criminal complaint says Walter 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 home said the girl looked to be only six to eight 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.
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