CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The prosecution rested its case late Tuesday morning in the child abuse, human trafficking trial of a Kanawha County couple.
Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Ray Lantz allegedly mistreated their adopted children including forcing them to work. Two children were found locked in a shed in October 2023.
Kanawha County prosecutors ended their case by calling two of the children to the stand Tuesday morning.
The boy and girl, now 12 and 10, repeated earlier testimony by a older sibling. They said they were made to sleep in tents, were given little food and treated differently when other family members came to visit.
The boy told the jury the children weren’t allowed to wear coats while Whitefeather and Lantz did. He also said Whitefeather told them they were cold all of the time because they were Black.
Whitefeather and Lantz face 20 criminal counts each. Both deny all charges.
The defense was expected to begin presenting its case Tuesday afternoon to the 12 member jury.
This story will be updated.
580-WCHS reporter Morgan Pemberton contributed to this story.