Trigger Warning: This article contains references to the alleged child physical abuse that some readers may find distressing.

A woman in her 20s has been sentenced to eight years in prison for participation in the severe abuse of an emaciated teenager in Wisconsin. According to the authorities, the neglect was so severe that the 14-year-old girl weighed only 35 pounds, less than what a four-year-old typically weighs, when she was rescued.

Kayla Stemler, 28, received her eight-year prison sentence on Monday after pleading guilty to multiple charges stemming from the extreme neglect. Following her release, she must complete three years of extended supervision and two years on probation. During the sentencing hearing, the presiding judge, Vince Biskupic, ripped into Stemler, harshly criticizing her involvement in the girl’s prolonged suffering.

Stemler pleaded no contest to charges of false imprisonment, chronic neglect of a child causing bodily harm, and chronic neglect of a child causing emotional damage.

The judge reprimanded her, saying that despite being one of the more educated members, she turned a blind eye to the teen’s abuse, WLUK FOX 11 NEWS reported.

“It’s not just your inaction for days, weeks, months, years. It’s you affirmatively doing things to add to this house of horrors,” he said. “You chose, whether for selfish reasons or acting in a blind fashion, to continue the status quo for this child.”

Judge Biskupic ordered that Stemler not get in touch with the victim, the girl’s family, or her co-defendants. She is also required to undergo a mental health evaluation and co-operate with all recommended treatment and medication plans.

Stemler lived in the household alongside three other adults, including the victim’s father, Walter Goodman; his wife, Melissa Goodman; and Melissa’s daughter, Savanna LeFever, who was Stemler’s partner at the time. The abuse went on for almost five years. During this period, Stemler left the residence to live with her own family instead of intervening. All four adults face criminal charges linked to the abuse.

The case first came to light after Walter called 911 in August 2025, reporting that his daughter had been vomiting and seemed “lethargic.” First responders noted that the teen resembled a skeleton when they found her. She had an 88.3-degree temperature, and her collarbones, ribs, hips, and cheekbones were poking through her skin.

She was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed with severe malnutrition. She received treatments for her respiratory failure, cardiac dysfunction, severe acute hepatitis, pancreatitis, hypothermia, and hypoglycemia.

The girl was restrained from attending school or making friends after her father got her custody. Investigators noted that she was so out of touch with reality that she wasn’t aware that the COVID-19 pandemic had ended.

Assistant District Attorney Julie Duquesne said while Stemler wasn’t as involved in the abuse of the teen as the other three, she still needed to be held accountable.

“I cannot express in words how sorry I am for all the harm that I have caused. I know there are many things I should have done differently,” Stemler said before learning her sentence.

Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public record.