OUTAGAMIE COUNTY (NBC 26) — New details are emerging in an extreme child abuse case out of Oneida, as a fourth person faced a judge Thursday afternoon.
50-year-old Melissa Goodman was formally charged with five felony counts of chronic neglect of a child, the same charges already filed against 47-year-old Walter Goodman, 29-year-old Savanna LeFever, and 27-year-old Kayla Stemler. She is being held at the Outagamie County Jail on a $150,000 cash bond.
The charges stem from allegations involving a 14-year-old girl, investigators say, who was found in August severely malnourished, weighing just 35 pounds, and suffering from organ failure.
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Neighbor recalls seeing the child removed from the home
A neighbor, Pam Medina, lives directly across the street and says she witnessed the moment first responders carried the child from the house.
“I remember they carried her out… she looked very small… her head just kind of fell to the side. I didn’t even know a child lived there,” Medina told NBC 26. Medina says she often saw multiple grocery deliveries to the home—sometimes more than once a day, which she now finds deeply troubling.
“How could they do that to her?” she said.“They never went grocery shopping. Their Walmart orders came like twice a day. They ordered a lot of food.”Medina said she wished she had known what was happening inside.
“If I’d known that, I would have been beating them girls up. I'd go all the way in there just to pull her out,” she said.
Criminal complaint details: Locked room, withheld food, no mattress
According to the criminal complaint, the child was allegedly:
- Kept in a locked bedroom
- Given limited food and water only at specific times
- Bathroom access limited
- Restricted from speaking
- Forced to sleep on bare floor after her mattress was removed
Digital evidence recovered by investigators includes text messages between suspects, including:
- “She is not to be out of her room at all.”
- “Only give her water at specific times.”
- “Take the mattress out.”
- “She can sleep on the floor.”
Investigators say the girl’s condition was critical when she was located on August 21, suffering from severe malnutrition and organ failure.
Family says the child is recovering
Off camera, the child’s grandparents told NBC 26 they saw their granddaughter recently and said she has gained weight, grown, and is “doing well.”
They confirmed she is now living outside of the hospital, but declined to share her location for safety and privacy reasons.
What’s next in the case
All four suspects face the same felony counts of chronic neglect.
Walter Goodman, Savanna LeFever, and Kayla Stemler are scheduled to return to court in the coming weeks.
Melissa Goodman’s initial appearance was held Thursday.
NBC 26 will continue following this case as it develops.
If you or someone you know needs help
The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
📞 1-800-4-A-CHILD
📞 1-800-422-4453
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