OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – An Oakland County mother accused of abandoning her three children was arraigned on child abuse charges and given a $250 million bond.
Kelli Bryant, 34, of Pontiac, was arraigned on three counts of first-degree child abuse on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025.
Oakland County Judge Ronda M. Fowlkes Gross gave Bryant a $250 million cash bond, deeming the mother a flight risk.
“She’s from here, she’s from there,” said Fowlkes Gross. “We don’t know where she resides. I do find her an acute risk and danger to the community and to any minor children under the age of 18, let alone the three minor children that she is a mother to.”
The judge said her main concern is that Bryant might try to contact the children since they are currently with a family member.
“I am concerned that she still may have contact with the family member from the jail with instructions to continue to engage in the fear tactics to forbid the children from cooperating with authorities,” the judge said.
If she posts bond and is released, she cannot have any contact with her children or any child under the age of 18. She also must wear a GPS tether. In addition, if the court finds out she is making calls from jail to intimidate her three children, the judge said her phone privileges will be revoked.
The mother faces up to life in prison if convicted.
“I thank Judge Gross for setting a bond that ensures that as this case moves forward, it reflects the severity of consequences and the risks for what was inflicted on these poor children,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a release.
Bryant is scheduled to appear in court again for a probable cause conference on March 4, 2025, and a preliminary examination on March 11, 2025.
This comes a day after Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced the charges against Bryant, who allegedly left her kids, a 15-year-old boy, a 12-year-old girl, and a 13-year-old girl, to live alone in deplorable conditions. The prosecutor said her office is seeking to terminate Bryant’s parental rights.
Deputies responded to the home in the 600 block of Lydia Lane on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, after the landlord had called them for a welfare check after he hadn’t heard from Bryant since December. The last rent payment had been made in October 2024.
When they arrived, they found the three kids inside the home, living in horrible conditions. Trash was piled four feet high in some places, the toilet was overflowing, and feces were found in the bathtub and throughout the home.
“Her daughters were hiding in a bathroom that was filled with feces, piles of trash, and completely non-functional, while her son was hiding in another room,” McDonald said. “Police were astonished to find anyone in the location, because it appeared to be uninhabitable, with piles of garbage and refuse several feet high, including large amounts of human excrement.”
The children were covered in feces and the two girls had a difficult time walking out of the home.
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, McDonald said.
The children told investigators they had no physical contact with their mother in years, and that the boy would text Bryant when their food supply was running low.
Bryant would allegedly send them food deliveries using Instacart or DoorDash, and officials say toward the end of the kids' time living alone, they were being sent a loaf of bread to share that was supposed to last them three to four days. They were allegedly never sent toilet paper, shampoo or soap.
The children were allegedly instructed by Bryant to never open the door or leave the home, and during their yearslong abandonment the boy was the only child to leave, and he only did that twice. He went outside once to “feel the grass” and another time to check the mail.
“All three children expressed fear about what their mother’s response would be if they left the home,” said McDonald.
Bryant also allegedly concealed the kids from her family members and lied about their whereabouts.
“The defendant took the active steps of lying and concealing to make sure the children went undiscovered, and she took these actions knowing that her children would suffer serious physical and emotional harm as a result,” McDonald said.
The three children were immediately taken to the hospital and evaluated after deputies found them at the home.
“At the hospital, the children struggled with completing basic hygiene tasks like flushing a toilet and brushing their teeth, because they had not done it in years,” McDonald said.
The prosecutor said the children appeared to be doing OK despite everything they had been through.
Child Protective Services placed the three children into the custody of a family member.
More coverage of Pontiac child abandonment
You can watch Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald’s full presser from when she announced charges against Bryant on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, and described the horrific conditions the children were living in:
