In the startling child abuse case, a Wisconsin stepmother accused of starving and imprisoning her 14-year-old autistic stepdaughter until she weighed just 35 pounds entered a no contest plea to many felony charges.
Melissa Goodman, 52, appeared on camera from jail in a wheelchair and entered a no contest plea to charges of wrongful imprisonment, chronic neglect causing serious bodily harm, and chronic neglect causing emotional anguish.
When she is sentenced on July 1, she could spend up to 46 years behind bars.
A criminal complaint states that on August 21, 2025, the adolescent was discovered in critical condition after her father, Walter Goodman, contacted 911 to report that she was virtually unconscious, sluggish, and had not eaten in four to five days.
The 14-year-old weighed only 35 pounds when police arrived at the family’s “house of horrors” in Oneida, Wisconsin. Police initially thought she was a youngster half her age because of the obvious protrusion of her bones.
According to the complaint, she was taken to the hospital with severe malnutrition and potentially fatal conditions such as untreated diabetes, acute respiratory failure, cardiac dysfunction, severe hepatitis, pancreatitis, hypothermia, and hypoglycemia.
The girl needed feeding tubes until she could eat on her own, according to nurses, and she also had pressure sores and a large bruising on her forehead.
She was allegedly forced to sleep on the floor without a mattress, locked in her bedroom for years, denied food and drink, and watched by security cameras, according to the prosecution.
Melissa Goodman, 52, entered a no contest plea to three felony charges, including false imprisonment and chronic neglect inflicting serious bodily harm, while appearing on camera from jail in a wheelchair.
The child admitted to the cops that she hadn’t left the house in Oneida’s Green Earth Trailer Court in at least two years.
A picture of two parents who appeared to be in love before Melissa Goodman, on the right, and Walter, on the left, were charged with numerous counts of chronic child neglect
According to a criminal complaint previously examined by the Daily Mail, the youngster was allegedly granted restricted access to the lavatory and was only permitted to talk into a surveillance camera installed in her bedroom.
According to the complaint, Melissa Goodman allegedly told family members to take away the girl’s bed, restrict her access to water, and “slap her azz again” in texts that investigators found on her phone.
According to the complaint, police also discovered pictures of the adolescent sleeping on the bare floor in nothing but socks and knickers.
The criminal complaint states that the victim later informed hospital workers that she thought it had been two to four years since she had played outside.
“I need a snack,” “Can I watch TV?” “I need to poop,” and “I can’t breathe” were among the other notes she penned.
The kid constantly penned phrases like “I’m hungry” and enquired when she would be permitted to eat after she recovered enough strength to write, according to a previous Daily Mail article.
She allegedly remarked, “My dad will be so mad,” after receiving chocolate pudding.
“He doesn’t like when I eat this much,” she said in response to the question of why her father would be unhappy.
Melissa, 50, is shown in her mugshot following her apprehension. At sentence, she could spend 46 years behind bars.
Walter, 47, is accused of several counts of long-term child neglect.
Her eyes “lit up” when nurses informed her that she would be fed three times a day.
The teenager expressed her excitement at eating vegetables, M&Ms, tacos, and pancakes.
Medical personnel found that the adolescent lacked the strength to turn on a washbasin tap on her own and had no idea what deodorant was.
According to the complaint, she informed staff that she only had weekly or monthly baths.
She also informed the workers that she had to pull herself along using furniture and walls because she was no longer strong enough to go to the loo by herself.
Of the four defendants in the case, Melissa Goodman is the first to enter a plea.
Charges were also brought against her daughter Savanna LeFever, husband Walter Goodman, and partner Kayla Stemler.
In order to explain why the adolescent had not been seen for years, the family allegedly told relatives that she was either on vacation or staying with other family members.
Despite often receiving grocery delivery, neighbour Pam Medina claimed she was unaware that a youngster was residing in the caravan.
LeFever’s partner, 27-year-old Kayla Stemler, was also with the victim and is accused of the same crimes.
Melissa’s daughter, Savanna LeFever, 29, has also been accused
When emergency responders carried the girl from the house, she remembered that she appeared “very small.”
The child reportedly stated in a police interview that she still loved her family despite the years of alleged abuse, but she also didn’t want to be locked in her room or watched by a camera.
Prosecutors say the adolescent is gaining weight after being discharged from the hospital.
