SISSONVILLE, W.Va. — Kanawha County sheriff’s deputies visited a home in the Sissonville community on two previous occasions before Monday’s call which resulted in the discovery of three children living in squalor and apparent captivity at the hands of their adoptive parents.
“Prior to this major incident, we did go and visit the property on two other occasions for similar complaints,” Sgt. Josh Lester of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.
ages 16 and 14, were locked in by their adoptive
parents. PHOTO: WVMetronews/Kat Skeldon
Neighbors who spoke to MetroNews claimed Child Protective Services had been called “numerous times” and nothing was done.
According to Lester, deputies responded to both previous complaints, one in May and one in June, which made similar claims about the treatment of the children. Lester said the May call claimed the children were outside at all hours of the night.
Deputies were told when they checked on the family there was a plumbing issue in the house and the family was using an outdoor toilet while waiting to get the plumbing fixed.
“Each time they went out there, they were able to lay eyes on the children, the deputies were didn’t find anything that was not normal,” Lester said.
The second call came during June and also claimed the family was abusing or neglecting the children.
“Another set of deputies went out, made contact with the parents, they were able to lay eyes on the children and talk to the children. They were inside and had eaten dinner, so there was again nothing that was substantial and there was no issue,” Lester explained.
The third call was Monday and a deputy again went to the home to follow up and made the discovery which led to the current investigation and charges of child neglect against the parents Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 61. They are in jail on $200,000 bail each.
Deputies learned Monday the couple had two more adopted children who were not present. One child was with one of the parents when they arrived at the home Monday, the second was found with a baby sister. According to Lester, all five are now in the custody of Child Protective Services as the investigation unfolds.
Neighbors told MetroNews the family had moved into the home several months ago. Lester said it was unknown how long they had been at the location. A van parked on the property had license plates from the state of Washington.
“When I went back and looked at these calls to see what kind of prior history we had, the complaints weren’t coming in until the end of May. I think at that time people even said, ‘…these people are new to the neighborhood,’ ” he added.
MetroNews has inquired to Child Protective Services about any previous contact with the family or issues with the children. So far we have received no response.