Obese Wisconsin Woman Pleads No Contest After Being Accused of Starving Autistic Stepdaughter

Wisconsin stepmom Melissa Goodman — who’s accused of stuffing her own face while imprisoning and starving her autistic stepdaughter until the 14-year-old weighed a mere 35 pounds — entered a no contest plea to multiple felony charges in the revolting abuse case, lawmen say.

Too obese to make it to the courtroom, Melissa, 52, appeared in court via video from jail, where she was seen sitting in a wheelchair, according to Daily Mail.

Per the report, she pleaded no contest to chronic neglect causing great bodily harm, chronic neglect causing emotional damage and false imprisonment, and faces up to 46 years behind bars at her sentencing on July 1.

In August 2025, Walter Goodman — Melissa’s 47-year-old husband and the tormented teen’s father — called 911 and reported that his daughter had not eaten in four to five days and was vomiting and nearly comatose, according to a criminal complaint.

Initially, officers who responded to the house of horrors in Oneida, Wis., mistook the victim for a child half her age due to her shrunken size.

Authorities say the girl hadn’t been allowed outside for at least two years, was given limited bathroom access and wasn’t allowed to speak — except into a surveillance camera mounted in her bedroom.

The complaint states lawmen discovered text messages on Melissa’s phone that told relatives to limit the girl’s access to water, take away her mattress and “slap her azz again,” in addition to finding photos of the girl lying on a bare floor clad only in underwear and socks, the outlet reported.

Medical personnel say the teen had pressure sores, and the complaint reveals she showed signs of multiorgan dysfunction, including acute respiratory failure, cardiac dysfunction, severe acute hepatitis, pancreatitis, coagulopathy, hypothermia, hypoglycemia and electrolyte derangements.

Melissa is the first of four defendants to enter a plea in the case. Her husband is also facing charges, as are her daughter Savanna LeFever, 29, and LeFever’s partner, Kayla Stemler, 27, Fox 11 reported.

Prosecutors say the teen is out of the hospital and gaining weight.