Girl, 14, Found Weighing 35 lbs. in 'House of Horrors,' Father and Stepmother Among 4 Adults Charged By Charna Flam

A 14-year-old girl in Wisconsin was discovered weighing only 35 lbs. while living in her father’s and stepmother’s home, according to multiple reports.

Authorities found the child, whose identity has not been shared publicly, in an Oneida, Wisc., home in August. She was severely malnourished, with respiratory failure, cardiac dysfunction, severe acute hepatitis and pancreatitis, according to Fox 11, citing court documents.

Initially, doctors were unsure if the girl would survive.

Outagamie County assistant district attorney Julie DuQuaine testified in court that she viewed photos of the child, who “looked like a skeleton,” and was “literally just skin and bones,” the outlet reported.

The victim’s father, Walter Goodman,47, his wife Melissa Goodman, her daughter, Savanna Lefever, 29, and LeFever’s partner, Kayla Stemler, 27, were all arrested on three felony counts of Chronic Neglect of a Child, with Consequence being Great Bodily Harm and two felony counts of Chronic Neglect of a Child, with Consequence being Emotional Damage, according to charging documents viewed by PEOPLE.

All individuals charged face more than 80 years in prison, the outlet reported.

Authorities discovered the victim after her father called 911 to report that the girl was very lethargic and weak. Upon arrival, an officer believed the child was only around 6 or 7 years old due to her size.

The victim was hospitalized first in Green Bay before being transferred to Children’s Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, Wisc., according to the criminal complaint. The complaint alleges that when the child was hospitalized, she requested a second portion of food, and when it was given to her, she told medical personnel that her father would “be so mad.”

She alleged to medical staff that her father “doesn’t like when I eat that much” after she was told that she would receive three meals a day while hospitalized. Staff reported that the girl’s “eyes lit up” when she was informed about the meal schedule.

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The child began living with her father in 2020 after her mother went to jail. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was attending school virtually through the  2020-2021 school year. The next year, the father claimed that the child was being homeschooled, per the criminal complaint.

“She was neglected for a number of years,” DuQuaine said, according to the outlet. “She has not gone to the doctor since September 2020. She has not been in school since COVID.”

Walter told authorities he monitored and communicated with his daughter via a webcam in her room, in which she was allegedly locked inside most of the time. A witness claimed Walter said, “Well, I keep her locked up in her bedroom with a camera on her, and that’s where she stays,” according to WISN.

Walter claimed his daughter has autism, and that is why she didn’t eat or sleep. He said he fed her multiple meals a day.

However, text messages sent between Stemler and Melissa, which were submitted into evidence, paint a different picture. “Just so you know [the victim] was taking more than one bite at a time, and when Savanna confronted her, she continued to argue with her, so I used the belt,” Stemler allegedly texted Melissa, according to the criminal complaint.

In a different text exchange, Melissa wrote, “Its hard tbh and some days I don’t want to anymore and wish she’d just go away,” the complaint alleges.

Walter allegedly made similar remarks about the child. Police say that a friend told authorities that he’d confronted Walter about the way he treated his daughter, and that Walter allegedly responded with “If I could leave her somewhere in the woods, I’d leave her.”

The complaint also alleges that Walter told his daughter, “I wish I could kill you.”

A GoFundMe page created to raise funds for the child’s recovery stated that since her rescue, she has grown 3 inches and doubled her body weight.

The four suspects remain in the Outagamie County Jail. The Goodmans’ and Stemler’s bail are set at $150,000 cash. LeFever’s bail is $100,000.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.