Third defendant convicted in Wisconsin neglect case of teen found weighing 35 pounds
09/01/2026 4:58 pm PDT
OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, Wis. (TCN) -- The third of four defendants has been convicted in connection with a neglect and abuse case in which a 14-year-old girl was found last year weighing 35 pounds.
In August 2025, police responded to a home after receiving a report of an unresponsive teenage girl. The girl appeared to be between 6 and 8 years old based on her size, according to first responders who arrived at the scene. She was taken to an area hospital and was treated for malnutrition, pancreatitis, acute hepatitis, respiratory failure, optic nerve neuropathy, pressure sores, and cardiac dysfunction. Investigators learned that she had not been to school or received medical care in years.
The victim lived in the home with her father, Walter Goodman; her stepmother, Melissa Goodman; Melissa Goodman’s adult daughter, Savanna LeFever; and LeFever’s partner, Kayla Stemler. They were each charged with several counts of chronic neglect.
Melissa Goodman pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced July 1 to 15 years in prison followed by 10 years of extended supervision, and Stemler was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by 36 months of extended supervision on August 24.
WLUK reports LeFever pleaded no contest on Aug. 28 to two counts of chronic neglect and one count of false imprisonment. She is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 3. According to the Post-Crescent, she faces up to 46 years in prison. At her plea hearing, Assistant District Attorney Julie DuQuaine asked the judge to reserve an entire day for the sentencing. According to the outlet, one to two hours are typically reserved for sentencing.
Walter Goodman has a court appearance scheduled for Oct. 30, according to WLUK.
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