Charleston, W.Va. — West Virginia will pay $4.4 million to five children who were abused by their adoptive parents in Sissonville, some of them forced to live in a shed without running water or a bathroom, after neighbors’ reports to Child Protective Services failed to get them out, West Virginia Watch reported.
Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers approved the settlement with the West Virginia Department of Human Services in late September. The payout, covered by the state Board of Risk Management, is the maximum each child could receive under the state’s limits on such claims.
What happened in Sissonville
Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 63, and Donald Lantz, 64, adopted the children and moved them to West Virginia. Law enforcement discovered the children in October 2023. The couple were later convicted and received the maximum sentences, amounting to decades in prison.
Neighbors had reported concerns to CPS before then, and said they never heard back. A 2023 West Virginia Watch report found the department could not produce documentation of any CPS contact with the children. At the couple’s trial, it came out that a CPS worker had left a card at the family’s door.
There were a ton of calls that came in from neighbors, and I think only one visit out there.
Dante’ diTrapano, attorney for the children, to West Virginia Watch
DiTrapano said the “whole system is broken.” The children have since been placed with new adoptive families.
The state’s response
A spokesperson for Gov. Patrick Morrisey said the department does not comment on specific settlements. The spokesperson said the employee involved was terminated and pointed to changes including restructured leadership, stronger training and a case assessment approach the state calls the “SAFE Model.”
Washington state could be next
The children came to West Virginia from Washington state, where diTrapano says there were prior abuse reports. He and the Salango Law Firm plan to bring claims against Washington’s human services department, which approved the children’s transfer to West Virginia.
The case has also driven legislation. Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha, plans to reintroduce the Child Captivity Prevention Act, which would require families who move to West Virginia and intend to homeschool to notify the Department of Human Services. The bill stalled before lawmakers adjourned in March, and Lewis plans to push it again in 2027.
Why it matters
This is a case where the system had what it needed. Neighbors called. Prior reports existed in another state. An interstate transfer of adopted children required official approval. Yet the response that reached the door was a business card. When investigators skip the basics, accountability tends to land on one fired employee rather than on the supervisors and policies that let reports sit. FAN’s explainer on how CPS investigations work lays out what an investigation is supposed to include.
Key facts
- Settlement: $4.4 million to five children, the maximum allowed under state limits.
- Approved by Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers in late September 2026.
- Adoptive parents Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Lantz received maximum prison sentences.
- Some children were forced to live in a shed without running water or a bathroom.
- Neighbors’ reports to CPS produced, as far as records show, a card left at the door.
- Attorneys plan claims against Washington state, which approved the children’s transfer.
- Del. Hollis Lewis plans to reintroduce the Child Captivity Prevention Act in 2027.
Sources
Don't just read it. Act on it.
Lawmakers fund and oversee this system. Tell West Virginia lawmakers what happened here.
Get an email when this case has a new development: charges, court dates, verdicts, settlements. Only about this case; unsubscribe anytime.
Lived through something like this? Your case could be the next one we document.
DUE PROCESSUp nextJudge David Camilletti: Due Process Failures in a West Virginia Child Custody CaseJefferson County Family Court | West Virginia This post documents procedural failures, statutory violations, and due process concerns arising from rulings issued by Judge David Camilletti, formerly of…
Feb 16, 2026
CHARGEDEl Paso Adoptive Parents Charged After Son, 13, Found at 33 Pounds With Spine FracturesOct 24, 2026
ADOPTION ABUSEPhoenix Adoptive Mother Gets 32 Years for Killing Girl, 9, Hidden in Attic for 3 YearsOct 21, 2026
THE BABY THIEFThe Baby Thief Who Shaped American Adoption: Georgia Tann’s Secrets Still Run the SystemOct 18, 2026
