A 14-year-old girl was reportedly confined in her bedroom and deprived of food for over two years while her extremely overweight family monitored her via a webcam.

Law enforcement initially mistook the girl for a much younger child, estimating her age to be between six and eight years old when discovered in Wisconsin. She weighed a mere 2.5 stone and disclosed that she had not stepped outside since she was around ten or twelve years old. Medical professionals had to resort to feeding her through a tube due to her severe malnourishment until she could consume food on her own.

Authorities have apprehended four individuals, including the girl’s father, Walter Goodman, 47, who alerted emergency services, on multiple charges of prolonged child neglect. His wife, Melissa Goodman, 50, their daughter, Savanna LeFever, 29, and LeFever’s partner, Kayla Stemler, 27, all residing with the victim, also face similar accusations.

According to allegations presented in official reports, the young girl moved in with her father’s family in 2020 after her mother was incarcerated. She had minimal interaction with her father before this instance, meeting her stepmother, Melissa, in 2019 while residing with her grandmother.

The girl was allegedly granted limited access to basic necessities such as food, water, and restroom facilities, and was confined in a locked room where she slept on the floor. Prosecutors claim that the adults in the household either silenced her or restricted her speech. The father justified the presence of a webcam in her room due to her history of self-harm and even installed an alarm on her door.

In a distress call to emergency services, Walter mentioned his daughter’s sickness and autism, a claim disputed by her former teacher. Medical evaluations revealed severe malnutrition in the teenager, along with multiple organ dysfunctions.

The victim is now in stable condition and recovering with other relatives. A GoFundMe campaign initiated to aid her progress notes significant improvement in her health, including physical growth and psychological resilience.

All four accused individuals are scheduled to appear in court in the upcoming weeks.