PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has charged 34-year-old Kelli Bryant with three counts of first-degree child abuse in the Pontiac abandonment case, where three kids were allegedly left alone for years.
"The three children in this case suffered unimaginable abuse and neglect over a long period of time," said McDonald.
Officials say that three children, a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old girl, were left in squalor, surviving on weekly drop-offs of prepared food. McDonald revealed during the news conference that the boy told officials that he would text his mother when they were running low on food, and she would have some delivered to them.
ORIGINAL STORY: Pontiac mother arrested after abandoning children in home for 4-5 years
The prosecutor said they will also be seeking to terminate Bryant's parental rights. McDonald released the mother's name during a Wednesday afternoon news conference announcing the charges.
Bryant could face up to life in prison if convicted. She will be formally arraigned on the charges on Thursday.
Officers conducting a recent welfare check on the home in search of the mother found the children living alone. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the landlord notified them because he hadn't heard from her since December and hadn't received rent since October.
Related Video: Watch the Oakland County prosecutor announce charges in this case
First responders said that four-foot piles of garbage were found in some rooms. Mold and human excrement were found throughout the house. Bouchard said the toilet had stopped working, and the bathtub was filled with feces.
He called the case "very horrific."
Law enforcement said that the children had not attended school since their abandonment, which is believed to have been sometime around 2020-2021. They say the kids passed time by watching television or playing games. It was reported that the girls had not been outside the home for several years, with the boy sleeping on a mattress on the floor while the girls slept on pizza boxes.
The prosecutor said the children were hiding when police arrived and were afraid to speak to them.
Press conference: Sheriff Michael Bouchard updates abandoned children case
The children were taken to the hospital for evaluation, reportedly with soiled clothes, matted hair, and toenails so long that it was difficult to walk.
"We say a lot ‘this is the worst I’ve ever seen' and I’ve stopped saying that, because every time I say that, I see something worse," said McDonald.
Bouchard said the children are making great strides since beginning to receive care. They have been forensically interviewed by professionals at CARE House of Oakland County. They were also seen once at McLaren Oakland Hospital. Bouchard said they will also receive a much more in-depth physical and mental health checkup in the near future. THey are a
Neighbors told police they did see a woman drop off stuff at the home from time to time, but they never saw the kids leave the house.
Bouchard said that the boy only left the house a few times; he reportedly only did so twice, once to just "touch the grass" and then to go out to get the mail.
Bouchard called the revelation the boy just wanted to feel the grass "by itself, heartbreaking."
"You wouldn't do this to an animal, let alone your child," Bouchard said. "So, just to hear that he came outside to touch the grass is just crushing, soul-crushing on so many levels."
Bouchard said they are working to determine how the kids fell through the cracks in this case, and is proposing legislation that would close the gap with moving children to different schools that allowed this to happen. He says that a school in Pontiac received a request for transcripts, but the school that sent it never confirmed the children were enrolled there before dropping them off their enrollment rolls.
During his news conference, Bouchard said they had received enough clothing for the children and that they are "shifting" to financial support for the children. They have set up donations through Mission Oakland and are currently looking for a law firm that can set up a trust for the children to administer any funds.
"I will say, we have one of the most generous communities, I think, in the world," Bouchard said.
If you know a child who is being neglected or abused, you can make a report to the state by calling 855-444-3911 and find more info at this link.
