West Virginia couple arrested for enslaving black children

A West Virginia couple is making media headlines again after a judge revoked their bail on human trafficking charges. The indictment documents are said to be indictments Donald Ray Lantz And Jeanne Kay Whitefeatherwere all white, capturing at least five adopted black children as slaves, each MetroNews.

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Details of the West Virginia couple’s initial arrest

According to the source, the update occurred nearly two weeks ago, on June 11. Local law enforcement first arrested Donald, 63, and Jeanne, 62, in October 2023. On At that time, a wellness check at their West Virginia home revealed that the couple had locked their two adopted children in a shed on their property.

Neither Donald nor Jeanne were home when deputies first arrived. Police found a third black child, a 9-year-old, inside the West Virginia couple’s main home. After a three-hour medical examination, Donald Ray Lantz arrived home with an 11-year-old black boy. An hour after him, Jeanne arrived at the house and led the deputy to the last child, a 6-year-old black girl who was with the couple’s church acquaintances.

The 16-year-old girl told police that the couple locked her and the 14-year-old boy in the warehouse for 12 hours without food. In addition, the 14-year-old boy also had “open sores on his bare legs,” according to court documents cited by MetroNews. Adolescents’ physical condition includes body odor and unclean appearance.

Jeanne Kay Whitefeather previously told the court that the warehouse was an unlocked “youth club.” However, reports from delegates painted a different picture. The warehouse reportedly had no running water and only an RV porta-potty. Additionally, the teens revealed that they were forced to sleep on concrete floors without mattresses or mattresses.

The indictment quotes neighbors as saying “the children were forced to do farm labor and were not allowed inside the house.” It’s unclear who called local authorities for a health check.

The judge revoked the couple’s bond for THIS reason

Donald and Jeanne face multiple charges related to trafficking of minors, use of minors as forced labor, and child neglect with risk of injury or death to children. Despite the evidence and witness accounts, the West Virginia couple pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Authorities detained them at the South Central Regional Prison. Their initial bond was set at $200,000 each. They paid the amount in February after selling an 80-acre farm in Washington for $725,000.

However, Kanawha County prosecutors argued in court that their cash deposits were “directly or indirectly illegally used or intended to be used” in violation of human trafficking laws.

Earlier this month, Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers found merit in prosecutors’ arguments. Akers revoked their bonds, claiming they were insufficient and increased them to $500,000 each.

Meanwhile, the Kanawha County Clerk of Court’s office is holding the money the West Virginia couple paid in February. Judge Akers believes the money should be placed in a trust fund for the juvenile victims in the case.

“[The indictment] allegations of human trafficking, human rights violations, and use of forced labor,” Judge Akers said. “The human rights violations are specific in that these children were targeted because of their race and they were essentially used as slaves in what the indictment alleges.”

The West Virginia couple will return to court on September 9 for trial.

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