Their black adopted children were aged 5 to 16 at the time of their rescue.
The family moved to a farm in Washington State in 2018 and lived there for a few years.
They later moved to a West Virginia property in May 2023.
Suspiciousneighbors raised the alarmafter watching the children being mistreated.
They requested a child welfare check around five months into the family moving to the new Sissonville address.
Deputies from the Kanawha County Sheriffs Office arrived at the scene while the couple were not at home.
A crowbar was used to set them free.
Lantz later returned with a fourth child, while the fifth child was found at a friends home.
When Lantz noticed the neighbors interest piquing, the kids were mostly kept indoors.
Deputies found the children in a filthy state and smelling of body odor.
Their diet was mostly composed of peanut butter sandwiches, sometimes leftovers from previous meals.
They were cursed at all the time, with Jeanne often hurling racist slurs at them, she said.
Everything was not right with Jeanne and Donald, the child said in their impact statement.
It wasnt about race.
It wasnt about forced labor.
Of the five adopted kids, one of the middle children called the couple horrible in their impact statement.
I will be something amazing,saidthe child.
I will be strong and beautiful.
You will always be exactly what you arehorrible.
Ill never understand how you’re free to sleep at night, the oldest said in court.
I want you to know that you are a monster.
During the sentencing, Whitefeather apologized to the children and claimed she never did anything to harm them intentionally.
Lantz received a prison termof up to 160 years and will be eligible for parole in 30.
This court will now put you in yours, Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers said in court.
And may God have mercy on your souls, she added.
Because this court will not.
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