Third Oneida adult pleads to neglect of teen found weighing 35 pounds

Another Oneida adult accused of chronically neglecting a teen to the point of severe malnourishment pleaded no contest to reduced charges in the case.

At an Aug. 28 hearing, 30-year-old Savanna LeFever pleaded no contest to one count of chronic neglect causing great bodily harm, one count of chronic neglect causing emotional damage and one count of false imprisonment, all as a party to a crime. She faces up to 46 years in prison and returns to court 8:30 a.m. Dec. 3 to be sentenced.

At LeFever's plea hearing, Assistant District Attorney Julie DuQuaine asked Judge Yadira Rein to reserve a full day for sentencing. Courts typically reserve an hour or two.

LeFever is one of four adults charged in the teen starving case. She and her three co-defendants – her mother Melissa Goodman, 52; Goodman's husband Walter, 47; and LeFever's partner Kayla Stemler, 28 – were each charged with three counts of chronic child neglect causing great bodily harm and two counts of chronic child neglect causing emotional damage. The charges came after authorities in August 2025 discovered a 14-year-old girl living with the adults weighed only 35 pounds, according to a criminal complaint.

On July 1, a judge sentenced Melissa Goodman to 15 years in prison followed by 10 years of extended supervision. Stemler received a sentence of eight years in prison followed by three years of extended supervision and two years of probation Aug. 24.

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Walter Goodman's next hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 30 in the same courthouse.

According to a criminal complaint, authorities began investigating the teen's condition after Walter Goodman called 911 on Aug. 21, 2025, to report that the teen was "comatose" and "lethargic." First responders who arrived at the home reported the girl looking "severely underweight and malnourished" with visibly prominent bones.

The teen was taken to the hospital and weighed in at only 35 pounds, the complaint said. Doctors diagnosed her with severe malnourishment and were reportedly concerned about organ failure.

Investigators founds text messages between Stemler, LeFever and Melissa Goodmen referring to the girl as "stupid" or "dummy," according to the complaint. The trio allegedly discussed letting the girl use the bathroom, physically hurting her and what she was allowed to eat.

In the complaint, a man who said he had grown up with Walter Goodman told police he heard Walter make comments like, "If she misbehaves, I'm not going to feed her today" and "I keep her locked up in her bedroom with a camera on her, and that's where she stays."

Mia Thurow is the public safety reporter for The Appleton Post-Crescent. She can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Third Oneida adult pleads to neglect of teen found weighing 35 pounds