The 911 call was a frantic plea for help, but the scene that awaited first responders in the small Wisconsin trailer was something out of a nightmare. A 14-year-old girl, emaciated and weighing just 35 pounds, was barely clinging to life. Her organs were failing, her body was hypothermic, and she was so weak she couldn’t turn on a faucet.
For years, she had been a prisoner in her own home, locked in a room and only allowed out to use the bathroom. This week, the wheels of justice continued to turn, with another family member entering a plea in a case that a judge described as beyond a horror movie.
The victim, identified only as MJG in court documents, was rescued from the home in Onida, Wisconsin, in August of last year. When paramedics arrived, they initially believed they were dealing with a child of about six years old, not a teenager. The severe malnutrition had ravaged her body, causing multiple organ failure, including her liver, pancreas, and heart.
She was diagnosed with osteoporosis, a condition typically seen in the elderly, and had developed pressure sores from lying on the floor. Her blood sugar level was 24, a life-threateningly low number, and prosecutors stated she was “very, very close to death.”
The case has ensnared four family members: the girl’s biological father, Walter Goodman; his wife, Melissa Goodman; Melissa’s adult daughter, Savannah Le Fever; and Le Fever’s partner, Kayla Stemler. The 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 and neglect spanned years, with the girl moving in with her father in 2020 after her biological mother went to prison. According to the criminal complaint, Walter Goodman locked his daughter’s bedroom door from the outside and installed a camera inside to monitor her.
He claimed this was necessary due to her history of self-harm and autism, but investigators painted a far more sinister picture of control and deprivation.
Melissa Goodman, the stepmother, was the first to be sentenced, receiving 15 years in prison followed by 10 years of extended supervision. In court, the victim delivered a powerful audio statement, calling her stepmother a “monster” who ruined her childhood. “You isolated me from my families, the one the only ones who actually cared.
You had the choice to help when I needed it. But instead, you joined in on the 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 and neglect,” the girl said. The stepmother had referred to the victim in text messages as “dummy” and “stupid,” and had instructed her son to ensure the doors were locked.
This week, the focus shifted to Kayla Stemler, who was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted on three counts, including chronic neglect of a child with consequences of great bodily harm, chronic neglect causing emotional damage, and false imprisonment. While prosecutors acknowledged Stemler may not have physically committed the 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮, she was a resident of the home who witnessed the horror and did nothing. The judge in the case unloaded on Stemler, stating, “It’s not just your inaction for days, weeks, months, years.
It’s you affirmatively doing things to add to this house of horrors. And make no mistake about it, this is beyond what somebody could probably think of in some sort of horror movie.”
Stemler, who worked outside the home and was described as educated, offered a tearful apology in court. “I cannot express in words how sorry I am for all the harm that I have caused. I know there are many things I should have done differently.
I should have reported what I knew. I should have stuck to my values and not given into peer pressure. I know what was going on was wrong, but I wasn’t strong enough to stop it,” she said.
Despite her apology, the judge’s harsh words underscored the gravity of her inaction, emphasizing that she had the capacity to intervene and chose not to.
On the same day as Stemler’s sentencing, Savannah Le Fever, the victim’s stepsister and Stemler’s former partner, pleaded no contest to the same three charges. Le Fever is scheduled to be sentenced on December 3rd. Her plea follows the pattern of the other defendants, who appear to be cooperating with prosecutors in anticipation of the main event: the trial of Walter Goodman.
Legal experts suggest that securing these convictions and plea deals is a strategic move by the prosecution to build a stronger case against the biological father, who is considered the most culpable figure in this tragedy.
Walter Goodman’s case remains active, but it has hit a snag. He is disputing a court finding that he is mentally competent to stand trial, with his attorneys contesting the evaluation. He is due back in court on October 30th.
Trial attorney Christa Ramy, commenting on the case, noted that the competency bar is very low. “You just have to be able to assist your attorney basically. And if you can do that then you’re competent to stand trial.
You could be crazy as I’ll get out and still be competent to stand trial,” she said. The 911 call made by Goodman, where he described his daughter’s alarming symptoms with a detached demeanor, could be used to show he was aware of her condition.
The details of the 911 call are chilling. Goodman told the dispatcher his daughter had been sick for four or five days, that she was lethargic and “laying there with her eyes open, all creepy.” He mentioned giving her “a little bit of wild cherry Pepsi” because her biological mother was diabetic, suggesting he thought it might help with low blood sugar.
When asked about her breathing, he described it as “on and off,” with her stomach going down. He claimed he hadn’t taken her to a doctor in nearly five years. This call paints a picture of a man either profoundly negligent or willfully ignorant of the life-threatening state of his child.
When police arrived, the scene was one of utter devastation. The girl was so weak she couldn’t walk from her bed to the bathroom without using the wall for support. She had to be carried out by her father.
A nurse at the hospital later recounted a heartbreaking moment: when she told the girl she could have three meals a day and order anything she wanted from the hospital menu, the girl’s eyes lit up. The girl then expressed fear that her father would be angry, saying, “My dad will be so mad he doesn’t like when I eat this much.” This statement alone encapsulates the years of deprivation and terror she endured.
Investigators found that the girl was confined to a small space, with her door locked from the outside. She was only allowed to leave to use the bathroom a couple of times a day. The criminal complaint details how Walter Goodman claimed he had to lock her in because of her history of self-harm, but the extreme conditions of her confinement and starvation point to a far more malevolent intent.
The girl’s physical condition, with pressure sores and osteoporosis, indicates she was left lying on the floor for extended periods, immobile and neglected. The 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 was not a single act but a sustained, years-long campaign of cruelty.
The case has drawn comparisons to other horrific instances of child 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮, such as the case of Shandra Vander in Michigan, where an autistic son was chained to a bed and starved. Legal experts see a similar pattern of deliberate deprivation here. “There is evidence here that this was very deliberate.
He’s not giving this child nourishment. This child is not getting exercise. This child is basically trapped,” said attorney Ramy.
The question now is how Walter Goodman’s defense will proceed, given the overwhelming evidence against him, including the testimony of the other convicted family members and the physical evidence of the girl’s condition.
The victim, now likely 15 years old, has shown incredible bravery by speaking in court, even via audio recording. Her survival is a testament to her resilience, but the road to recovery will be long and arduous. Experts point out that the system failed her long before her rescue.
She was essentially missing from the education system for years, and no one from child protective services followed up on her absence. “There was systemic failure for this child as well that already has failed her,” noted Ramy. The lack of oversight allowed this 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 to continue unchecked for years.
The question of what happens next for the victim is a pressing one. With her family members facing long prison sentences, she will likely remain in the foster care system. The trauma she has endured will require extensive therapy and support for the rest of her life.
“She’s going to live with this for the rest of her life. This trauma will forever be there and that she will always need help for,” Ramy said. The hope is that the justice system, having failed to protect her from this horror, will now provide her with the resources and stability she needs to begin to heal.
As the legal proceedings continue, the community and the nation are left to grapple with the sheer depravity of the case. The judge’s words to Kayla Stemler, calling the situation a “house of horrors,” resonate deeply. The fact that four adults lived in that home and allowed a child to wither away to 35 pounds is almost incomprehensible.
Each plea and sentencing brings a measure of justice, but it also serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of children and the profound responsibility of adults to protect them.
The case against Walter Goodman is now the focal point. Prosecutors have built a mountain of evidence, including the testimony of his co-defendants, the horrifying 911 call, and the physical evidence of the girl’s condition. His attempt to challenge his competency is seen by many as a delaying tactic, a final desperate move to avoid facing the consequences of his actions.
The October 30th hearing will be critical in determining the next steps in his prosecution. If found competent, he will face trial for his role in the near-fatal 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 of his own daughter.
The sentencing of Kayla Stemler sends a clear message that complicity in such crimes will not be tolerated. Even those who did not directly inflict the 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 but stood by and did nothing are being held accountable. The judge’s rebuke of Stemler highlighted that her inaction was itself a form of participation in the “house of horrors.”
This legal precedent is crucial in cases of child 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮, where bystanders often play a role in enabling the 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 through silence and inaction.
Savannah Le Fever’s no-contest plea adds another layer to the prosecution’s case. Her cooperation could be vital in the trial against Walter Goodman, as she can provide firsthand testimony about the living conditions and the dynamics within the home. With three of the four defendants now convicted or having pleaded guilty, the spotlight is firmly on Goodman.
The prosecution’s strategy of securing these convictions first is a calculated move to isolate him and present him as the primary architect of the 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮.
The story of MJG is one of unimaginable suffering, but also of survival. She was on the brink of death when she was rescued, but she pulled through. Her voice, though delivered via recording, has been a powerful force in the courtroom, confronting her abusers with the reality of their cruelty.
As the legal process unfolds, her courage serves as an inspiration and a reminder of why the pursuit of justice in such cases is so important. The world now watches to see if Walter Goodman will finally be held accountable for the monstrous acts he is accused of committing against his own child.