Many people in the Black community regard transracial adoptions with some level of skepticism. Most agree that all children deserve a loving home, regardless of race. We also know that racism is so pervasive in this country that there will be instances where it shows up in an adoptive parent’s journey, whether it’s from other family members or the parents’ own subconscious beliefs, racism often finds a way to rear its ugly head.
In some tragic instances, it materializes in heinous, abusive, and deeply traumatizing ways, like in this instance with West Virginia couple, Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62.
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The couple's adopted Black children were allegedly banned from entering their main house.
Last year, Lantz and Whitefeather were arrested after a welfare check revealed that the two were housing their five adopted Black children in a shed behind their home, WVMetro reported.
The Sissionville couple allegedly locked the children in a barn and forced them to perform farm labor. Neighbors claimed that the children were not allowed in the house. In a statement made in court, Whitefeather claimed that the shed was a “teenage clubhouse” and the 14- and 16-year-old who were found inside were not locked in. The shed contained only a small portable toilet and had no running water.
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The children emerged from the shed unclean and injured.
The 16-year-old girl’s account differed from the parents' story. She said the two had been locked in the shed for 12 hours and hadn’t eaten since 6:00 a.m. that morning. The children also said they were forced to sleep on the concrete floor in the shed with no mattress or padding. Court documents stated that the 14-year-old boy had “open sores on his feet.” The children were dirty and had body odor.
The couple was arrested and charged with multiple crimes.
Aside from the children in the shed, there was a 9-year-old inside the main home. Three hours after law enforcement initially arrived, Lantz came home with an 11-year-old boy. An hour after that, Whitefeather took authorities to a 6-year-old who was staying with acquaintances from the couple’s church. The two were arrested in October 2023 on charges of human trafficking, neglect, and human rights violations.
A judge didn't believe the couple's initial bond was sufficient.
The indictment stated that the couple intentionally targeted Black children in order to force them to work. When they were arrested, their bond was set at $200,000. Earlier in July, Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers said she didn’t believe it was enough.
“Along with human trafficking and neglect was serious risk of bodily injuries or death, I don’t find the bond to be sufficient,” Akers said. As a result, the couple’s bond had been more than doubled and is now $500,000. Akers said in her tenure as a judge, she’s never seen an indictment like the one that was lodged against the couple.
“It alleges human trafficking, human rights violations, the use of forced labor,” Akers said. “Human rights violations specific to the fact that these children were targeted because of their race and they were used basically as slaves from what the indictment alleges.”
The couple are set to stand trial later this year.
Judge Akers’ decision to double the bond comes after Kanawha County prosecutors expressed concerns over the bond money coming from the couple’s trafficking profits. The two were able to pay $400,000 to be released from jail in February.
When the couple were first arrested in October, they stated that they had no income or assets. Since then, the couple sold an 80 acre ranch in Tonasket, Washington, for $725,000. Afterward, Whitefeather’s brother posted two $200,000 bonds. The two were released from the Central Regional Jail three days later.
In March, the couple also sold the West Virginia property that included the shed for $295,000. Prosecutors argued that even if the funds were legitimate, its intended use was for trafficking and forced labor. Right now, the couple’s money is in the custody of the Kanawha County Circuit Court Clerk’s office.
Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Krivonyak believes it should be used to set up a trust fund for the children. The trial for the couple is set for September 9.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
