The Michigan mother who police say abandoned her children in a home for years and left them living in filth is set to face trial.
Kelli Bryant, 34, of Pontiac, is charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse and welfare fraud in the case, according to clickondetroit.
In February, police discovered the three children, ages 15, 13, and 12, living in a home in Pontiac, a Detroit suburb. According to police, the children were abandoned in 2020 or 2021 and survived by eating food left at the door.
Inside the house, police discovered garbage piled as high as four feet. The house was infested with mold and human waste, with the toilet overflowing and human waste found in the bathtub. After the children were removed, hazmat suits were used to clean up the scene.
According to police, the 15-year-old boy slept on a mattress on the floor while the two younger girls slept on pizza boxes.
“I have never encountered a scenario as dire and prolonged as this one, involving abandonment, neglect, and abuse of the highest order,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard stated at the time. “This situation would be deemed deplorable and intolerable for an animal, and it is utterly unacceptable for three children.”
During a preliminary hearing, a pediatrician testified that the children’s routine was to wake up, use their phone or tablet, sleep, and eat food when it was provided. The doctor said it was unclear when the children slept, and they were not allowed to leave the house, according to the station.
“They have been denied any interaction with their mother and have not received an education in years. “The far-reaching consequences of this abuse must be recognized,” Bouchard stated.
Police went to the house on a welfare check because the landlord hadn’t heard from Bryant since December, and she hadn’t been paid rent since October.
