A Pontiac mother was arrested Friday after abandoning her three children for several years, leaving them to survive alone on weekly drop-offs of prepared food, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
The 34-year-old mother, who shares the same name as one of her children, is being held in the Oakland County Jail. Detectives expect to turn the case over to prosecutors soon.
“Throughout my extensive career, I have never encountered a scenario as dire and prolonged as this one,” said Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
The children—a 15-year-old boy and two sisters, ages 12 and 13—have been placed with a relative by Child Protective Services.
Deputies were called to the home in the 600 block of Lydia Lane for a welfare check Friday afternoon after the landlord reported not hearing from the mother since December and that rent hadn’t been paid since October.
Inside, deputies found the house in horrific condition, with garbage piled up to four feet high in some areas, mold and human waste throughout the home, and feces in the bathtub.
The children were found inside. The girls had locked themselves in the bathroom but opened the door when deputies asked. The boy said they had lived alone since their mother abandoned them in 2020 or 2021. They survived on prepared meals their mother or a stranger left on the porch weekly. The mother did not provide toilet paper or hygiene items and had not seen the girls in years.
The children had not attended school and spent their time watching TV or playing games. It appeared the girls had not been outside the home for several years. The boy slept on a mattress on the floor while the girls slept on pizza boxes. They were taken to the hospital for evaluation, wearing soiled clothing with matted hair and overgrown toenails, according to a news release.
The mother was arrested at another location. She told deputies the father had no involvement in their lives. The investigation is ongoing.
