They are accused of having locked their children in a shed in terrible conditions. Hearing this Tuesday, June 25, the father and mother pleaded not guilty.
The judge in Kanawha County (West Virginia, United States) had never seen such a case. This Tuesday, June 25, Maryclaire Akers auditioned Donald Ray Lantz and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather. A couple accused of using their adopted black children as slaves, reports local media Metro News.
The 63-year-old father and the 62-year-old mother were arrested in October 2023 after the discovery of two of the five children in a ruined hangar in Sissonville, 23 kilometers from the capital Charleston. The teenagers aged 14 and 16 were deprived of running water, clean clothes, food and forced to sleep on the floor, according to court documents relayed by the Daily Mail.
Forced labor on agricultural land
“It’s a clubhouse for teenagers,” the mother said. The couple pleaded not guilty to the numerous charges. Among them, trafficking of minor children, using minor children in forced labor and neglecting children, creating a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death.
“These children were targeted because of their race and were used essentially as slaves,” explained Judge Maryckaire Akers. The parents allegedly used their children by making them work on agricultural land. The couple’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 9.
