Girl, 14, Found Weighing 35 lbs. in ‘House of Horrors,’ Father and Stepmother Among 4 Adults Charged

A 14-year-old girl in Wisconsin was found weighing just 35 pounds while living in her father and stepmother’s home, according to multiple reports.

Authorities discovered the girl in an Oneida, Wisconsin, home in August after a 911 call from her father reported that she was lethargic and weak. Investigators say she was severely malnourished and suffering from respiratory failure, cardiac dysfunction, severe acute hepatitis, and pancreatitis, Fox 11 reported, citing court documents. Doctors were initially unsure she would survive.

Outagamie County assistant district attorney Julie DuQuaine testified that photos of the child showed someone who “looked like a skeleton” and was “literally just skin and bones,” according to the outlet. When officers arrived at the home, one believed the teen was only about 6 or 7 years old because of her size.

The girl was first hospitalized in Green Bay before being transferred to Children’s Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint states that while in the hospital, she asked for a second portion of food and, after receiving it, told staff her father would “be so mad.” She allegedly explained that her father “doesn’t like when I eat that much” after being told she would receive three meals a day. Staff reported that her “eyes lit up” when she heard the meal schedule.

The girl had been living with her father since 2020 after her mother went to jail. During the COVID-19 pandemic she attended school virtually through the 2020–2021 school year. The following year, her father claimed she was being homeschooled, the complaint says. DuQuaine told the court the child had been neglected for years, adding that she had not seen a doctor since September 2020 and had not been in school since COVID.

Investigators allege the father, Walter Goodman, monitored and communicated with his daughter through a webcam in her bedroom, where she was reportedly locked inside much of the time. A witness told authorities that Goodman said he kept her in the room with a camera on her and that “that’s where she stays,” WISN reported.

Goodman claimed his daughter has autism and said this explained why she did not eat or sleep. He told authorities he fed her multiple meals daily. But prosecutors say evidence suggests otherwise.

Text messages entered into evidence between Kayla Stemler and Melissa Goodman allegedly describe the girl being punished for eating. In one message, Stemler wrote that the child was taking more than one bite at a time, argued when confronted, and that Stemler “used the belt,” according to the complaint. In another exchange, Melissa Goodman allegedly wrote, “Its hard tbh and some days I don’t want to anymore and wish she’d just go away.”

The complaint also includes statements attributed to Walter Goodman that were described by police as cruel and threatening. A friend told investigators he confronted Goodman about the girl’s treatment and Goodman allegedly replied, “If I could leave her somewhere in the woods, I’d leave her.” Authorities also say the father told the girl, “I wish I could kill you.”

Walter Goodman, 47, his wife Melissa Goodman, her daughter Savanna Lefever, 29, and Lefever’s partner Kayla Stemler, 27, were arrested and each charged with three felony counts of chronic neglect of a child resulting in great bodily harm and two felony counts of chronic neglect causing emotional damage, according to charging documents. All four face potentially more than 80 years in prison if convicted, Fox 11 reported.

A GoFundMe page created to support the teen’s recovery says that since being removed from the home, she has grown three inches and doubled her body weight.

The four suspects remain in the Outagamie County Jail. Bail for Walter Goodman, Melissa Goodman, and Stemler is set at $150,000 cash each, while Lefever’s bail is set at $100,000.