OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The Oakland County mother accused of abandoning her three children to live alone in a filthy home for years is back in court on Tuesday after allegedly calling her children’s caregiver multiple times.
Previous coverage: Oakland County mom accused of abandoning kids allegedly called their caregiver 10 times from jail
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Kelli Bryant, who faces multiple charges of child abuse and welfare fraud, allegedly violated a judge’s order not to contact her children or their caregiver.
On Friday, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald filed a motion in 50th District Court on Friday to revoke 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 also accused of having other inmates call the children’s caregiver on her behalf.
She is currently held in Oakland County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
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.”
Bryant is expected to appear in court on Tuesday, March 18, at 2:30 p.m. regarding these allegations.
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 the children’s caregiver.
They also claim contacting the children’s caregiver 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.
Bryant’s attorneys denied the claim that she had other inmates contact the children’s caregiver 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 the children’s caregiver.
