There are stories that shake you. Stories that make you question how people capable of such cruelty ever existed unnoticed within a community.
And then there are stories like this — where a child was not just neglected, but systematically starved, controlled, humiliated and isolated, allegedly by the very people legally and morally responsible for her safety.
This isn’t a misunderstanding.
This isn’t “strict parenting.”
This isn’t “discipline.”
This is torture.
The Victim
A 14-year-old Wisconsin girl, weighing just 35 pounds, was found locked inside a room of a trailer — isolated, starved, and deprived of medical care, education, safety, and basic human dignity.
Her mattress sat directly on the floor.
She needed permission to eat.
She needed permission to use the bathroom.
Officials described it as “a house of horrors.”
The Four Adults Now Charged
According to prosecutors, the individuals responsible for her condition are:
- Walter Goodman (father)
- Melissa Goodman (stepmother)
- Savannah LeFevre (Walter’s adult stepdaughter)
- Kayla Stemmler (LeFevre’s partner)
All four are now facing five counts of chronic child neglect.
One prosecutor stated:
“This is the most egregious case of child neglect I have seen in nearly 25 years.”
How Authorities Found Out
The case began in August, when Walter Goodman called 911 claiming his daughter was:
- sick,
- vomiting,
- lethargic,
- and “not eating much.”
When first responders arrived, they immediately saw the reality:
She appeared the size of a 6- to 8-year-old.
She was minutes from death.
Medical Findings
The girl was airlifted to Children’s Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, where doctors feared imminent organ failure. She was diagnosed with severe malnourishment.
But here’s the part that exposes the truth:
With normal food and normal sleep, doctors said she now functions within normal expectations for her age.
Translation:
She did not refuse food.
She was denied it.
Life Inside the Home
Court documents reveal alarming details:
- The teen had not seen a doctor or attended school since 2020.
- Messages between the adults showed they mocked her, calling her: “dummy,” “stupid,” and “manipulative.”
- Melissa Goodman and Savannah LeFevre were described as:
“Extremely obese to the point of being nearly bedbound.”
- Kayla Stemmler was reportedly the only adult who worked.
One message from LeFevre read:
“We gave her an expletive shake last night because I felt bad — and of course she laid nice and quiet to get what she wanted.”
Melissa Goodman responded:
“She’s manipulative. That’s how she works.”
Meanwhile, the child they labeled “manipulative” was starving to death.
A Pattern of Excuses
Walter Goodman attempted to rationalize the situation by telling authorities:
“She don’t eat. She’s autistic.”
But messages — and medical reality — contradict that narrative.
This wasn’t misunderstanding a disability.
This was weaponizing it.
Before This Home
Prior to living with her father, the teenager lived with her biological mother. Goodman claims she attended:
“two or three days of school”
after moving in with him — and then stopped entirely.
That means no mandated reporters.
No teachers to notice.
No doctor to question.
Silence became the weapon.
Where We Stand Now
Thanks to medical intervention and luck, the girl survived.
A prosecutor put it plainly:
“But for the grace of God, she did not die.”
And while she is now physically recovering, the question remains:
How many warning signs were ignored?
How many systems failed?
How long was she suffering before anyone heard her?
This Is Why Stories Like This Must Be Told
Because children don’t have platforms.
Because abuse thrives in secrecy.
Because accountability only begins when silence ends.
Walter Goodman.
Melissa Goodman.
Savannah LeFevre.
Kayla Stemmler.
Four adults.
One child.
Years of preventable suffering.
And a world that must ask itself — why didn’t we see her sooner?
The Immoral List 
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