THE family of a young girl found severely malnourished have been charged with five counts of child neglect.
Walter Goodman, the father of the 14-year-old girl called 911 to report she was throwing up, comatose and very skinny.
She was taken to St Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, where employees determined she was hypothermic, had bruises, pressure sores, acute hepatitis, pancreatitis and multiple failed organs.
The first officer on the scene estimated the girl was aged six to eight-years-old and it was later found she weighed just 38 pounds.
The alleged five year campaign of abuse took place at her home, where she lived in a trailer with her father, his wife Melissa Goodman and her daughter and partner, who have all been charged.
A 41-page criminal complaint details allegations made against four family members: they include allegations of nutritional, emotional, medical, physical, psychological and emotional neglect.
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The emaciated girl was allegedly kept in a locked bedroom, with nothing but the bare floor; the adults wouldn’t let her talk or restricted how much talking she could do.
According to the criminal complaint the girl was given limited access to food, water and the bathroom, despite her family being hugely overweight.
In disturbing digital evidence, the 14-year old’s father sent texts allegedly in regard to the victim.
He said: “If she misbehaves, I’m not going to feed her today,” and “If I could leave her somewhere in the woods, I’d leave her.”
Another text allegedly said: “I wish I could kill you [the victim].”
Melissa Goodman, the girl’s stepmother, Savanna Lefever and Kayla Stemler (Melissa’s daughter and her partner) spent several months communicating with each other about beating, kicking or slapping the victim, according to the complaint.
The former are also accused of repeatedly referring to the victim as “stupid” or “dumb.”
Neighbours of the family have been surprised and disgusted to learn of the allegations.
One neighbour, Brenda Mauel said: “It’s sick. It’s sad and sick. It just bothers me. It bothers everybody here, just so sad that they … How? Why did it get this far?”
Another neighbour named Anthony John said: “It’s way beyond horrible. How can one human do that to another human, regardless of what state of mind they’re in?”
Officials said the victim was stable and recovering with other family members.
“She has now since been released from the hospital and is gaining weight and doing better,” said Outagamie County Assistant District Attorney Julie DuQuaine.
DuQuaine said: “I was able to observe photographs of her, and she looked like a skeleton,
“She was just literally skin and bones at 35 pounds.”
Nurses noted in the complaint that while the girl was hospitalised she would get three meals a day. They said her “eyes lit up as she started listing off all the options of food she could have,” over the course of her stay.
Allegedly the victim said her dad would be mad because he doesn’t like it when she eats so much.
He told authorities his daughter didn’t like to eat or sleep, he claimed the family would offer her meals but she wouldn’t eat, according to the complaint.
It also stated the victim hadn’t been to school since the pandemic nor had she played outside in years.
Last year alone, Outagamie County says it received more than 4,000 reports of abuse and neglect- with neglect being the largest category.
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Walter Goodman, Stemler and Lefever all have preliminary hearings scheduled this week with Melissa Goodman’s proceeding scheduled for today.
The young girl’s father reportedly told law enforcement he has stage four liver disease, although this is yet to be confirmed.