Inset: Walter S. Goodman (Outagamie County Jail). Background: The Wisconsin area where Goodman and others allegedly nearly starved a 14-year-old girl to death (Google Maps).
A Wisconsin father could soon join his wife behind bars after being convicted of starving and abusing his 14-year-old daughter. Authorities found the girl weighing just 35 pounds and described her as “very, very close to death” when they discovered her at the family’s home in August 2025.
Walter S. Goodman pleaded no contest Tuesday to two counts of chronic neglect of a child—one involving great bodily harm and the other involving emotional damage—as well as one count of false imprisonment, according to court records.
Goodman is one of four adults charged after authorities found the girl living in what Law&Crime previously described as a “house of horrors.” The other defendants are the victim’s stepmother, Melissa Goodman; her adult stepsister, Savanna LeFever; and Kayla Stemler, LeFever’s partner.
Melissa Goodman was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Stemler received an eight-year sentence. LeFever is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 3.
According to the criminal complaint, Walter Goodman called 911 on Aug. 21, 2025, and said his daughter, who was autistic, had not eaten in “the last four [or] five days” and appeared to be “comatose.” When first responders arrived, they found the girl severely malnourished and dangerously underweight. Her collarbone, ribs, hips and cheekbones were clearly visible, and she appeared to be the size of a 6- to 8-year-old child.
She was taken to a hospital in Green Bay and later airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee. Doctors diagnosed her with severe malnutrition, a glucose level of 24, hypothermia and multiple bedsores. They feared she could experience catastrophic organ failure within 72 hours.
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Investigators concluded that the girl’s condition had worsened over several years. After Walter Goodman gained custody of her in 2020, she stopped attending school and was allegedly confined to her bedroom, where her father installed a camera and an alarm on the door.
A friend of Goodman’s told police that he once heard the father threaten to withhold food from the girl if she misbehaved. The probable cause affidavit states:
He heard [Walter Goodman] make comments like, “If she misbehaves, I’m not going to feed her today.” [The friend] said he told [Walter Goodman] that he can’t do that, and [Walter Goodman] said, “Well I keep her locked up in her bedroom with a camera on her, and that’s where she stays.” [The friend] said he told [Walter Goodman] that he can’t lock a kid in a bedroom, that was abuse. [The friend] indicated that at times when [Walter Goodman] brought [the victim] to his house, [Walter Goodman] would tell [the victim] to “Shut the f— up,” and “Sit there and don’t say nothing.”
Stemler lived at the home with LeFever, LeFever’s mother Melissa Goodman and Walter Goodman. Prosecutors alleged that Stemler and LeFever looked after the girl when Walter and Melissa Goodman were away while another child received cancer treatment.
Prosecutors have also described other conditions the girl allegedly endured during the five years before her rescue. According to the Post-Crescent, she was not allowed to leave her bedroom without supervision, and a blanket had been nailed over the window.
She was also allegedly denied food and water while adults in the home monitored her through the bedroom camera.
Walter Goodman is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 2, 2027. He faces a maximum sentence of 28 years in prison.
