Pontiac mother accused of leaving kids to live in squalor, bound over for trial
FOX 2 - The Pontiac mother accused of leaving her three children to live in squalor is headed for trial.
A preliminary exam was held for Kelli Bryant in Oakland County court Friday, where the judge bound over the case in the disturbing child abuse case.
The backstory:
Bryant, 34, was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse last month after her children were abandoned in a Pontiac condo four or five years ago. Bryant lived at another home and would occasionally drop food off at the home, authorities said.
Also on Friday - Bryant, who is charged with welfare fraud, was bound over by a judge in a separate hearing. She allegedly obtained about $29,400 from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services from January 2022 through Feb. 2025.
The children were found on Feb. 14 after the condo's landlord requested a welfare check. According to authorities, the landlord hadn't heard from Bryant since December, and rent hadn't been paid.
In March, Bryant's communication privileges were taken away for making phone calls from jail to a caretaker, violating a judge's order of having no contact. She was accused of making at least 10 calls and had other inmates makes calls as well.
Child Abuse in the First Degree is punishable by any amount of prison up to life. Welfare Fraud, over $500 is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $5000 fine.
WARNING: The details of the child abuse allegations against Bryant, are disturbing.
Deputies arrived and found the home full of garbage – piled as high as four feet in some rooms. The rooms were also covered in mold and human waste. The toilet was overflowing, and the bathtub was full of feces.
The children survived on food that was dropped off on the front porch each week by either their mother or a stranger.
But they had no access to toilet paper or personal hygiene items. The sheriff said they were unfamiliar with personal hygiene and didn't even know how to flush a toilet.
They had also not attended school since she left them and instead passed time by watching TV or playing games. The sheriff said the girls had not been outside in several years.
The boy slept on a mattress on the floor, but the two girls slept on pizza boxes.
According to deputies, neighbors were unaware that children lived in the home and had never seen them. They said they saw their mother at the home each month.
The kids were all wearing soiled clothing with matted hair and toenails so long that it was difficult to walk.
The Source: Information for this story came from today's court hearings, police information and previous reports.