Couple adopted Black children—but instead of giving them a loving home, prosecutors say they treated them as “slaves.” Locked in a filthy shed with no running water, forced to carry heavy loads, and left to suffer in silence

A West Virginia couple adopted Black children—but instead of giving them a loving home, prosecutors say they treated them as “slaves.” Locked in a filthy shed with no running water, forced to carry heavy loads, and left to suffer in silence, these children endured unimaginable cruelty.

Now, their adoptive parents have been convicted of child neglect and forced labor. But the most shocking part? Authorities believe the couple deliberately sought out Black children for this abuse. Keep reading to uncover the disturbing details of this heartbreaking case... Continue reading here ▶

A white couple in West Virginia has been convicted of forcing their adopted Black children into hard labor and keeping them in horrific living conditions, treating them as “slaves,” prosecutors say.

Donald Lantz, 61, and Jeanne Whitefeather, 62, were found guilty on multiple counts of child neglect and forced labor. Whitefeather was convicted on all 19 counts, while Lantz was found guilty on 12 of 16.

“These kids weren’t there to be raised as children,” Assistant Prosecutor Chris Krivonyak told the jury. “They were treated as less than human—more like machines to be used.”

The shocking case came to light when police responded to a 911 call about children being locked inside a shed on the couple’s property in Sissonville, about 15 miles north of Charleston. When officers arrived, they found a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl inside a filthy shed with no lights, running water, or bedding. The floor was hard concrete, and the children had to use a makeshift toilet made from an RV seat. The boy had open sores on his bare feet.

Inside the house, police found a 9-year-old girl sitting alone and crying near a loft railing 15 feet off the ground.

Officers waited at the property for three hours before Lantz arrived with an 11-year-old boy. Whitefeather showed up an hour later and led police to a 6-year-old girl who was visiting another couple from their church.

Neighbors testified that they saw the children being forced to carry heavy loads like propane tanks and buckets of water. One child appeared to be in pain as he dragged his feet, while Lantz stood by, offering no help.

The couple allegedly targeted Black children from a shelter and possibly trafficked them from an 80-acre ranch they previously owned in Washington state.

Whitefeather defended herself in court, claiming the shed was a “teenage clubhouse” that the children “liked.”

However, Judge Maryclaire Akers made it clear this was a case of racial abuse, stating the children were “targeted because of their race” and used as “basically slaves.”