OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Prosecutors want communication privileges revoked for an Oakland County mother who’s accused of abandoning her three children to live alone in a filthy home for years.
Previous coverage: Oakland County mom accused of abandoning kids for years in filthy home facing welfare fraud charges
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Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald filed a motion in 50th District Court on Friday to revoke Kelli Bryant’s communication privileges for allegedly calling the children’s caregiver ten times between March 8 and March 12, 2025, to talk about her children and her criminal case.
Bryant is accused of having other inmates call the children’s caregiver on her behalf.
The prosecutor’s office said Bryant violated the court order directing her to have no contact with her children or their caregiver.
Bryant is held in Oakland County Jail on a $50,000 bond. She was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse and three counts of welfare fraud.
Click here to see all of our previous coverage of this case.
“Kelli Bryant has clearly and repeatedly violated the judge’s order not to contact the victims or their caregiver,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “That order is in place for an important reason – to protect the victims. The decision to ask that an inmate’s communications be restricted isn’t made lightly, but Bryant was repeatedly disobeying court orders and, by doing so, further endangering the victims.”
If the motion is granted, Bryant would be prohibited from using telephone, tablet and video communication devices while in jail.
What Bryant’s attorneys said
Bryant’s attorneys responded to McDonald’s motion, saying she had no idea she couldn’t contact her father.
They also claim contacting her father is not in violation because she did not contact her children directly. However, the judge said in her arraignment on March 12 that she could not contact the children and their caregiver, which is Bryant’s father.
Bryant’s attorneys denied the claim that she had other inmates contact her father during her arraignment on welfare fraud charges. They also said Bryant did not receive her bond conditions in writing, making her unaware she could not contact her father.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald talks revoking communication from mom in abandonment case
