White couple faces human trafficking charges for enslaving adopted children
Shock in the USA. A White man and a White woman allegedly treated their adopted Black children like slaves. The children were reportedly kept in a barn and forced to work. The accused couple denies the charges.
On Tuesday, 63-year-old Donald Ray Lantz and 62-year-old Jeanne Kay Whitefeather appeared in Kanawha County court. They face numerous charges, including human trafficking, forcing children into labour, child neglect, and endangering their health.
According to the local service Metro News, the children suffered serious bodily injuries. The parents are also accused of violating human rights. Their actions were allegedly motivated by racial prejudice.
Judge Maryclaire Akers stated that the children "were essentially treated as slaves."
Shock in the USA. First arrest in October
The couple was first arrested in October 2023, after a health check revealed that two of the five adopted children, aged 6, 9, 11, 14, and 16, were living in inhumane conditions on a property in Sissonville.
In an earlier statement given to the court, the accused Donald Ray Lantz claimed that the barn where the 14 and 16-year-old children were found was a "teen club." He denied that the children were kept there without the possibility of leaving.
Bail for each parent's release has been set at $670,000. The couple's trial is scheduled for September 9 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
