A Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her three children for several years has been formally charged with three counts of first-degree child-abuse, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced today.
If convicted, 34-year-old Kelli Bryant faces up to life in prison.
Bryant allegedly left her three children—a 15-year-old boy and two girls, ages 12 and 13—alone in a home in Pontiac, Michigan, since around 2020, surviving only on occasional food drop-offs from their mother, police said.
Authorities discovered the children after their landlord called police for a welfare check on Friday, reporting that rent had not been paid since October and that he had not heard from Bryant since December.
When deputies arrived at the home on Lydia Lane, they found it in horrific condition, according to a news release:
• Garbage piled up
• Mold and human waste throughout the residence.
• Feces in the bathtub.
• The children were wearing soiled clothing, with matted hair and overgrown toenails.
The two girls were locked in the bathroom but opened the door when deputies arrived. The 15-year-old boy told authorities they had been living alone since 2020 or 2021, surviving on prepared meals that Bryant—or sometimes a stranger—left on the porch.
Investigators say the children had no physical contact with their mother for several years and had not been outside during that time.
• The girls reportedly could not walk out of the house.
• The children struggled with basic hygiene
• They had no toilet paper, shampoo, or soap in the home.
• They had not attended school and spent their time watching TV or playing video games.
• The boy slept on a mattress on the floor, while his sisters slept on pizza boxes.
Bryant allegedly concealed her children from family and friends, and no one was aware of their situation. Authorities stated that the children’s father had been incarcerated at some point and, after his release, attempted to see them but was denied by the mother. In 2022, a court-approved consent agreement granted him visitation rights, but the mother refused to comply.
This remains an ongoing investigation.
