Inset, left to right: Wilber Copeland and Megan Cis (Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Whitewater, Wisconsin, neighborhood where the defendants lived (Google Maps).
A Wisconsin woman has pleaded guilty after authorities said eight children were apparently left without food, prompting one of them to go to a neighbor’s home asking for something to eat.
Megan Cis, 33, pleaded guilty to intimidating a victim to discourage reporting, battery, and possession of THC, according to Lincoln County court records reviewed by Law&Crime. Under her plea agreement, eight counts of child neglect and one count of possessing drug paraphernalia were dismissed.
Cis was sentenced to two years of probation. She must also write a personal apology letter to each victim and is prohibited from contacting six of them, court records show.
Wilber Copeland, the other defendant, is 43 and continues to face charges of being party to a crime of intimidating a victim through threats of force, being party to a crime of child abuse involving intentional harm, and eight counts of child neglect. He also faces drug-related charges.
As Law&Crime previously reported, a woman contacted the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 12, 2025, after one of her neighbor’s eight children arrived at her home looking for food. The woman and the defendants lived in Whitewater, Wisconsin, roughly 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Wausau Daily Herald, the child told the neighbor that the parents—later identified as Cis and Copeland—were not at the RV where the family lived and that there was no food inside.
Deputies who went to the RV reportedly found unsanitary and unsafe conditions, including a severe mess, insufficient heat in the area where the children slept, spoiled food, dog feces, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
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The children told deputies that their parents had instructed them to clean the RV while the adults were away, according to the criminal complaint. They also allegedly described physical abuse by Cis, including an incident in which she reportedly lifted one child by her sweatshirt, choked her, and punched her in the ribs.
The child was reportedly left with a black eye. The children also said Cis kicked them in the ankles when they failed to take one of the family’s six dogs outside.
Authorities cited additional allegations.
The oldest child said the children were forced to sleep in the cold RV and were not permitted to use extra clothing, boots, or jackets to stay warm because, as quoted in additional reporting by area CBS affiliate WSAW, “her parents don’t want the kids wasting clothes.” The parents, by contrast, allegedly slept with a space heater and had sufficient food.
The oldest child also reportedly told investigators that Copeland, her stepfather, once responded “you’re fine, suck it up” after she was injured and was not allowed to take pain medication.
Authorities said the children further reported that the defendants instructed them to lie to police about what had occurred.
Copeland has not been convicted. His next court appearance, a status conference, is scheduled for Monday.
