OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – An Oakland County mother has been charged after she abandoned her kids and left them to live alone for years.
Kelli Marie Bryant, 34, of Pontiac, was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse after authorities discovered that her three children, had been living alone in “absolute squalor” since 2020.
If convicted, she faces up to life in prison.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced the charges on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, after reviewing “several gigabytes of evidence” that investigators had collected.
The prosecutor’s office is seeking to terminate Bryant’s parental rights.
Bryant allegedly lived in the house with her four children in 2019, but at some point between 2020 and 2021, she had moved out and left three of her children there, while a fourth child went to live with his father.
The mother allegedly hadn’t seen the children in years, but the boy would text her when their food supply was running low, and she would have food delivered to the house using services like DoorDash or Instacart. During their abandonment, toilet paper, soap and shampoo were allegedly never sent to the kids. Toward the end, they were sent a loaf of bread to share that was supposed to last them three to four days.
McDonald also discussed how the children were allegedly instructed by Bryant to never answer the door or leave the house. The kids said they were scared to find out how their mother would react if they did.
The boy told authorities he only left the house twice during this time, once to “touch the grass” and another time to check the mail.
All three children were immediately taken to the hospital after deputies discovered their living conditions. They showed severe signs of neglect and McDonald said they had difficulties flushing the toilet and brushing their teeth because they hadn’t done so in years.
Despite what they experienced, the prosecutor said the children appear to be doing OK. They were placed into the custody of a relative by Child Protective Services.
McDonald said she lied to other family members about who was caring for the children and had concealed them from family and friends.
In addition, McDonald said while no one else has been charged at this time, that doesn’t mean additional charges won’t happen at a future time.
This comes after Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard released more details about the case during a press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and discussed how this level of neglect could have gone unnoticed by schools and family members.
You can watch the full presser here:
How to help the kids
The sheriff’s office received several bags of clothing for the children, so now they are pivoting to gather financial support for them.
“We appreciate the community’s response in supporting the three neglected Pontiac children,” the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. “At this juncture, we have sufficient clothing donations and are shifting our focus to accept donations for educational supplies and to allocate resources for their future well-being. We are accepting donations to a tax-deductible qualified fund, with 100% of the contributions going directly to the children."
Case details -- what we know
Deputies performed a welfare check at the home in the 600 block of Lydia Lane in the afternoon on Friday, Feb. 14, after the landlord called them.
The landlord told them he hadn’t heard from the mother since December, and rent hadn’t been paid since October. He was concerned that something could have happened.
When they arrived, they found the home in deplorable condition.
Garbage was piled as high as four feet in some areas and mold and human waste were found throughout the home.
The toilet was overflowing and they found feces in the bathtub, according to the sheriff’s office.
The children were found wearing soiled clothing. Their hair was matted and their nails were several inches long.
Neighbors told authorities they never saw the children outside the house, but would see things being dropped off.
After their mother was arrested, the three children were put in a relative’s custody by Child Protective Services.
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