Obese father accused of starving teen daughter to 35 pounds in Wisconsin house of horrors
A Wisconsin father accused of starving his teenage daughter until she nearly died will face trial, according to reports.
Walter Goodman, 47, waived his right to preliminary hearings on Monday and was ordered to stand trial on charges of abuse.
Another individual allegedly involved, Goodman’s step-daughter’s girlfriend, 28-year-old Kayla Stemler, will also face trial. Meanwhile, Goodman’s wife, 51-year-old Melissa, and her daughter Savana LeFever, 29, are expected to plead guilty to child abuse and emotional harm charges.
Authorities say the case came to light in August when Goodman called 911, claiming his 14-year-old daughter had become “comatose” after refusing to eat for days. First responders were shocked by her condition, initially thinking the severely underweight girl was only six years old. She was rushed to a hospital with organ failure, with prosecutors later describing her as “literally skin and bones.”
Family members were also horrified. Leslie Doxtaker, the girl’s cousin and current caretaker, told Fox 11 that when the girl arrived at her father’s trailer five years ago, it appeared as though “time had stopped” for her. She added, “It was almost like she was in a time capsule from the time that she was given to when we saw her in the hospital. She was isolated since 2020.”
Investigators say Goodman and his family claimed the girl was “autistic” and refused to eat, but text messages reportedly revealed that they bragged about punishing her through starvation, confinement under video surveillance, and physical abuse.
In one alleged text, Goodman reportedly told a friend, “If I could leave her somewhere in the woods, I’d leave her.” LeFever allegedly wrote, “I just want to karate kick her dumb head.”
After being hospitalized and finally released, the girl showed no aversion to food, eating multiple meals a day. Her cousin said she has since gained more than double her previous body weight, now weighing 78 pounds and growing three inches taller.
“She wants to go and play. She wants to go and run, and we have to keep reminding her, like, ‘Just wait for your body to catch up.’ But she is getting there,” Doxtaker said. She has also set up a GoFundMe to support the girl’s recovery.
The family said the teen continues to process the abuse, and they are helping her understand that the responsibility lies with the adults, not her. “She feels like she’s guilty for this happening, for them going to jail,” Doxtaker said. “We’re trying to continuously tell her, ‘This isn’t your fault. They were the adults. They were the ones responsible for you, not the other way around, baby.’”
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