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CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Pontiac woman accused of abandoning her 3 children for years released on bond
A Pontiac, Michigan, woman accused of abandoning her three children to live in squalor was released on bond on Thursday. Records from the Oakland County Jail show Kelli Bryant, 34, was released just before 5 p.m. on June 5. Additional details on her release are currently unknown. Bryant faces three counts each of child abuse related to allegedly forcing her three kids, a 15-year-old boy and a 13- and 12-year-old girl, to live in unbearable, filthy conditions in an apartment. She was also charged with welfare fraud related to getting money from the state as support payments, where she received an alleged roughly $30,000. Bryant was initially given a $250 million bond, which was later reduced to $50,000 cash. If released, she was ordered to have no contact with her children or anyone under the age of 18. She can also not contact those caring for her children and cannot return to the address of the alleged incident. Oakland County deputies received a call on Feb. 14 from a landlord at a residence on the 600 block of Lydia Lane in Pontiac after not hearing from the mother since December 2024. The landlord said rent had not been paid since October, and he was concerned something might have happened. When deputies arrived at the home, they found it in a vile state. They found mold and human waste, garbage piled as high as four feet, and an overflowing toilet. The children were reportedly covered in feces, and the two girls had trouble walking out of the house. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said investigators believe the children were abandoned between 2020 and 2021. According to McDonald, Bryant lived with her four children at the home in 2019 and left with one of her children, who is now living with their father. Officials say Bryant has four children with two different fathers. Authorities say Bryant did not leave basic hygiene products like toilet paper, soap or shampoo with her children. The children were taken to a hospital for evaluation and are currently in the custody of a relative under the direction of the state. NOTE: The video above previously aired on May 29, 2025.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Michigan mom lived glamorous fun life... but behind closed doors things were VERY different
A Michigan mother has been charged after her three children were found abandoned in horrific conditions for years while she kept up with her glamorous lifestyle. Kelli Bryant, 34, is facing three counts of first-degree child abuse and three counts of welfare fraud, according to WDIV. In February, her children, a boy aged 15 and two girls, aged 13 and 12, were found to have been staying in a feces and trash-covered home in Pontiac. Police said at a hearing on Friday that because the house was so filthy they were advised to wear hazmat suits and expected to find a dead body due to the smell, reported WXYZ. 'The most notable observation was what appeared to be feces covering their clothing and their hair,' Detective John Brish said. 'I'd never smelt a home that smelled that bad without a decomposing body present.' Brish testified that he was stunned when Bryant came to the police station to be interviewed, looking drastically different from her kids. 'Her appearance was the most surprising... her hair was done, she was wearing what appeared to be clean, she had long fake nails,' he said. The detective told the court that Bryant admitted to hurting her children and repeatedly asked how she could help herself throughout the interview. 'She knew that her actions were selfish, that's her wording, and that it made her children sick and that she had ultimately sacrificed her children for her own purposes,' Brish said. 'I would speak on the severity of the situation and my concerns for the children and their path to recovery and moving forward, and typically, her response would be "Is there anything I can do to help myself?"' Police came to do a wellness check after the landlord became concerned that he hadn't heard from their mother since December, and the rent was last paid in October. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the shocking conditions the children had been left in after they were abandoned in 2021. Trash was piled as high as four feet in some rooms, mold and human waste was found throughout, with the toilet overflowing and feces in the bathtub, the sheriff's office said. The boy told them he and his sisters lived alone after being abandoned, and they survived on prepared food dropped off by their mother or a stranger on the front porch each week. No personal hygiene items or toilet paper were provided to the kids, and they also appeared to be unaware of how to use such items or know how to flush a toilet. An investigator for the prosecutor's office testified that the children had their mom in their phone's contact labeled as 'World's greatest mom.' Bryant allegedly had her children's contact information on her phone labeled as 'My oldest,' 'Kid 1' and 'Kid 2.' Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy Quincy Curtis said the boy had extremely long toenails and had trouble walking straight. 'They were very frightened,' Curtis said. 'I didn't think it was a suitable place for anyone to be living.' Bryant previously pleaded not guilty to the child abuse charges, and a judge ruled on Friday that the case can go to trial. She is being held on a $50,000 bond at the Oakland County Jail. Her defense team argued because the children weren't mentally or physically harmed, it was not a child abuse case. 'Those children were articulate. They were answering questions. They were asking for clarification,' said Cecilia Quirindongo Baunsoe, Bryant's defense attorney.
CBS News
16-05-2025
- CBS News
Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her 3 children for years will stand trial
Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her 3 children for years appears in court Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her 3 children for years appears in court Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her 3 children for years appears in court The Pontiac mother charged in the case of three children abandoned to live in squalor was in court Friday for a preliminary hearing and probable cause conference in Pontiac District Court. The proceedings included four witnesses being called by the prosecution — a doctor and multiple law enforcement officers. Kelli Bryant, 34, faces three counts each of child abuse related to allegedly forcing her three kids, a 15-year-old boy and a 13- and 12-year-old girl, to live in unbearable, filthy conditions in an apartment. Further, she is charged with welfare fraud related to getting money from the state as support payments, where she received an alleged roughly $30,000. Testimony during the hearing related some of the conditions in which the youths were living. When law enforcement arrived, first responders wore gas masks and hazardous materials equipment because of the amount of trash and filth they say they saw. The doctor then testified to the general poor health the kids were found in, including poor hygiene. One of the witness testimonies included a statement from Bryant telling one of the law enforcement officers the following: "I hurt my children. I sacrificed my children, probably." The defense cross-examined each witness and also sought to reduce the child abuse charges. The judge then decided that his case would be forwarded up to the circuit court. The next court date has not been announced. Welfare fraud over $500 is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. Child abuse in the first-degree is punishable by up to life in prison.
