Background: The Whitewater, Wis., neighborhood where Wilber Copeland and Megan Cis live (Google Maps). Insets (left to right): Wilber Copeland and Megan Cis (Lincoln County Sheriff”s Office).
A couple from Wisconsin is facing several charges related to child abuse and neglect after their eldest child reportedly sought food from a neighbor’s home.
Authorities arrested 42-year-old Wilber Copeland and 33-year-old Megan Cis on December 12. This followed an incident where a neighbor alerted the Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies. According to the neighbor, one of Copeland and Cis’s eight children had come to her house in search of food. As detailed in a criminal complaint reviewed by the Wausau Daily Herald, the child mentioned that their parents were not present, and the RV where they lived had no food left.
Upon the deputies’ arrival at the RV, they discovered a disordered interior, insufficient heating for the children, spoiled food, dog feces, and marijuana.
The complaint further reveals that the children informed deputies that Copeland and Cis instructed them to clean the RV while they were away. During conversations with the children, deputies uncovered more about the family’s conditions. The children alleged that Cis was physically abusive, including an incident where she allegedly lifted a child by her sweatshirt, choked her, and punched her in the ribs, resulting in a black eye. Cis was also accused of kicking the children in the ankles for failing to take one of the family’s six dogs outside.
Furthermore, the children reported that Copeland and Cis warned them to lie to the police about the abuse to avoid getting into trouble.
When Copeland and Cis returned, deputies conducted a search of their RV, discovering three bags of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Additional marijuana was found within the headboard of their bed.
Copeland and Cis were charged with being a party to the crime of intimidating a victim, eight counts of child neglect, possession of THC, and possession of paraphernalia. Cis was additionally charged with one count of child abuse.
Cis was booked into the Lincoln County Jail and posted $2,500 bond on Dec. 13. She is scheduled to appear in court again for a status conference on Jan. 12, 2026.
Copeland remains in custody at the Lincoln County Jail on $5,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 28, 2026.
