American police have arrested four people following shocking allegations of torturing a 14-year-old girl by starving and confining her for years in their home in Wisconsin. According to the Daily Mail, the girl's weight dropped to just 16 kilograms after being deprived of food and her freedom monitored by cameras in her room for at least two years. The criminal complaint states that the girl was taken to a hospital, where she told medical staff the last time she left home was between the ages of 10 and 12. Those arrested were her father, Walter Goodman (47), his wife Melissa (50), his daughter from a previous marriage, Savannah Lever (29), and her friend, Kaila Stemmer (27). All of them lived on Green Earth Trailer Court in Oneida and face charges of chronic child neglect. When police arrived at the home on August 21 after Walter called emergency services claiming his teenage daughter was semi-unconscious and hadn't eaten for days, officers noted the girl's protruding bones and her appearance resembling a child aged 6-8. It was later revealed that the girl had been living with her father since 2020 after her mother was imprisoned, leaving her under his sole care. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, she attended school remotely, and the following year, her father claimed she was homeschooled. Assistant District Attorney for Outagamie County, Julie Duczynski, confirmed the girl was neglected for several years, had not seen a doctor since September 2020, and had not attended school since the pandemic began. The complaint states that Walter claimed he monitored his daughter and communicated with her via a webcam in her room, where she spent most of her time. He alleged her refusal to eat or sleep was due to autism and that he offered her multiple meals a day. However, text messages between Kaila Stemmer and Melissa painted a different picture. The defendants, despite their severe obesity, were angered if the girl ate enough. Kaila wrote: "The girl took more than one bite at once, and when Savannah confronted her, they argued and she used a belt." In another message, Melissa wrote: "Honestly, it's hard, and some days I don't want to continue and I wish this girl would just go away." Other messages contained instructions to give her water only at specific times, to prevent her from leaving the room, and even to remove her bed. The complaint also stated the girl was forbidden from speaking unless in front of a camera in her locked room, was denied access to the bathroom at set times, and was forced to sleep on the floor. Hospital staff found the girl had severe bedsores and bruises, as well as acute malnutrition and failure of several organs, including her respiratory system, heart, liver, and pancreas, along with electrolyte imbalances. She was fed through a tube until she could eat independently. After a week in the hospital, the girl began communicating by writing, saying phrases like, "I'm hungry," "I need a snack," and "Can I watch TV?" She said she was afraid of her father's anger if she ate larger portions. When informed she would receive three meals a day in the hospital, she wrote to staff, "My dad doesn't like me eating this much," but upon learning about the three-meal schedule, her eyes lit up, she showed great enthusiasm for food, began requesting different dishes like pancakes, chocolate, and tacos, and expressed a desire to eat vegetables as well. Assistant District Attorney for Outagamie County, Julie Duczynski, confirmed the girl was discharged from the hospital, gradually gaining weight, and her health was improving. The family members were arrested on November 10. Walter, Savannah, and Kaila are expected to appear in court in the coming weeks, while the first hearing for Melissa was held on November 13.
