Father and Three Others Arrested After 14-Year-Old Found Severely Malnourished at 35 Pounds

A 14-year-old girl in Oneida, Wisconsin, was found severely malnourished and weighing just 35 pounds, according to court documents. Four people — the girl's father and three adults who lived in the same home — were arrested after an investigation uncovered evidence that the child had been confined to a locked bedroom under video surveillance and deprived of adequate care.

Arrests and charges

Police arrested 47-year-old Walter Goodman, 50-year-old Melissa Goodman, 29-year-old Savanna Lefever and 27-year-old Kayla Stemler on Nov. 10 following what law enforcement described as an “extensive” child-neglect investigation. Court filings charge them with multiple counts of chronic neglect of a child, including three counts related to alleged great bodily harm and two counts related to alleged emotional damage.

Medical condition and hospital findings

According to the criminal complaint, first responders were called Aug. 21 after Walter Goodman reported his daughter had been vomiting and “barely eats.” When the girl arrived at the hospital she weighed 35 pounds and showed medical signs consistent with severe malnutrition: hypothermia, hypoglycemia and indications of multi-organ dysfunction. Medical staff also noted she had very prominent collarbones, ribs and hip bones and lacked medical records for the previous five years.

Allegations from interviews and messages

Investigators say the family’s accounts did not match the girl’s medical condition. Walter Goodman allegedly told authorities the child was autistic, frequently refused food and burned off energy by not sleeping. He also said he kept a camera in her room because she self-harmed. Medical and forensic interviews reportedly found she did not demonstrate ongoing self-harm or chronic sleep problems and that she expressed fondness for family members.

A friend of the family told investigators he had heard Walter Goodman make troubling remarks about withholding food and that Goodman admitted, “Well I keep her locked up in her bedroom with a camera on her, and that’s where she stays.” Officers searching the home reportedly observed bolt-lock holes in the girl’s bedroom door. Prosecutors also cite text messages in which family members referred to the child with demeaning terms and described controlling her meals, bathroom times and sleeping arrangements.

Background and school history

The complaint says the girl moved in with her father in 2020. Household members included the stepmother, the stepmother’s adult daughter and that daughter’s partner, as well as the stepmother’s teenage son. The girl had not attended in-person school since the COVID-19 pandemic and was reportedly homeschooled from 2021 through 2025. A former third-grade teacher described her as a friendly, talkative student without observed eating problems or an identified need for special education.

Details from the hospital stay

While hospitalized, staff documented the child’s severely depleted condition: she reportedly could not raise her arms fully and needed rests between walks. She told hospital workers she showered only “maybe weekly or monthly.” On one occasion she asked for a second chocolate pudding and said, “My dad will be so mad,” adding, “He doesn’t like when I eat this much.” When told she would receive three meals per day, staff recorded that her “eyes lit up” as she listed foods she hoped to have.

Next steps

The arrests followed a months-long investigation that began with the August 911 call. The charges are allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Investigations by law enforcement and child welfare agencies are ongoing.