Wisconsin Judge Sentences Woman to 8 Years for Teen Neglect

A no-nonsense judge unleashed on a woman as she received her sentence for the horrific neglect of a teen who weighed just 35 pounds when rescued from a Wisconsin home. Kayla Stemler, 28, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Monday after admitting guilt to charges relating to the girl found emaciated in August 2025. The teenager was so thin she weighed less than she did at age four.

Stemler lived with her partner Savanna Lefever, LeFever's mother Melissa Goodman, and her husband Walter. All four adults resided with the victim and have been charged in connection with this case. Stemler pleaded no contest to three charges stemming from the girl's mistreatment. Following her prison time, she will spend another three years under extended supervision and two years on probation.

The judge ordered that she have no contact with the girl, her family or co-defendants. She must also undergo a mental-health assessment and follow strict treatment and medication requirements. Before imposing the sentence, Judge Vince Biskupic branded the case 'jaw-dropping,' 'stunning' and 'sickening.' He confronted Stemler over the years of sheer cruelty and suffering endured by the child.

Kayla Stemler was sentenced to eight years behind bars on Monday after she pleaded no contest on May 7 to chronic neglect of a child causing great bodily harm, chronic neglect of a child causing emotional damage and false imprisonment, all as a party to a crime. The investigation began on Aug. 21, 2025 after Goodman called 911 to request assistance for his daughter in his trailer. He claimed the child was 'just laying there eyes open all creepy,' telling the dispatcher the child had been in a comatose state.

That call uncovered the trainwreck of abuse the teenager had been subject to. The judge said Stemler had 'thousands of opportunities to intervene'. Stemler confirmed during the hearing that there were times during the five-year period of neglect when she left the home to stay with her own family. Biskupic called it 'incomprehensible' that she could have witnessed and participated in the neglect without seeking help.

'You chose, whether for selfish reasons or acting in a blind fashion, to continue the status quo for this child,' he told her. The case concerns the treatment of a girl who was found in critical condition at an Oneida home on August 21, 2025. According to the criminal complaint, the victim's father, Walter Goodman, called 911 that day and reported that his daughter was lethargic and appeared to be alternating between vomiting and being 'comatose.'

When first responders arrived at Goodman's trailer, they found the teenager severely underweight and malnourished. Her appearance looked skeletal. The girl's temperature was 88.3 degrees, and her collarbone, ribs, hips and cheekbones were visibly prominent, according to investigators. She was taken to hospital where doctors diagnosed severe malnutrition and treated her for respiratory failure, cardiac dysfunction, severe acute hepatitis, pancreatitis, hypothermia and hypoglycemia. Investigators said doctors were also concerned about possible organ failure.

The girl's condition was the culmination of years of alleged neglect. Prosecutors said she had stopped attending school after her father gained custody of her in 2020.

Melissa Goodman appeared by video from jail in a wheelchair on July 1 and pleaded no contest to three felony charges. Her accomplice faces similar accusations of chronic neglect causing great bodily harm and false imprisonment. Several refrigerators and freezers in the home were stocked with food, yet the teenager was severely malnourished. Investigators recovered text messages among the adults that allegedly discussed what she could eat and how she should be punished. Some messages referred to the autistic girl as 'stupid' and 'dummy,' according to the criminal complaint. Recovered texts from Goodman's phone show her instructing family members to remove the bed, limit water access, and 'slap her azz again.'

The victim did not know the COVID-19 pandemic had ended when she was rescued in 2025. She told hospital staff that it had been two to four years since she last played outside. Even after rescue, her condition remained severe. Relatives said she could not walk through a store without assistance and required a booster seat because she was so small. During hospitalization, she lacked the strength to turn on a faucet or shower. She used the wall for support when walking from bed to the bathroom. She wrote notes asking: 'I need a snack,' 'Can I watch TV?', 'I need to poop,' and 'I can't breathe.' Once strong enough to write, she repeatedly scribbled messages including 'I'm hungry' and asked when she would be allowed to eat. After receiving chocolate pudding, she reportedly said her dad would be so mad because he does not like when she eats this much. She told nurses that she sometimes went weeks or months without being showered.

Walter Goodman faces multiple counts of chronic neglect alongside his wife. A photo showed seemingly loving parents before the charges were filed against them. The court heard an audio-recorded victim impact statement from the teenager during Stemler's sentencing hearing. She questioned how Stemler could see a vulnerable child suffering and choose not to intervene. 'I was never worthless; I was never a burden,' she said. 'I was a child who deserved to be loved.' Stemler's family submitted statements portraying her as a hard worker brought into a controlling environment after moving in. The court nevertheless found that Stemler had a responsibility to intervene. She is the second adult sentenced in this case.

Melissa Goodman was sentenced on July 1 to 15 years in prison followed by 10 years of extended supervision. Judge Mitchell J Metropulos described the crimes as exceptionally serious during sentencing. He said photographs of the girl's condition reminded him of images his father saw after serving in World War II. LeFever is scheduled for a plea hearing at 9 am on August 28. A plea agreement filed August 19 states she plans to plead no contest. Walter Goodman has pleaded not guilty.

His next court appearance is set for October 30. The teenager was pulled from the home once she entered the hospital and is now healing with full backing from her family. Relatives say her recovery has been remarkable after years of isolation and severe malnutrition. Prosecutors are still pushing forward with legal action against the other defendants, so the case remains active.