Welfare fraud charges added for Pontiac mom charged with abandoning 3 kids for years
Kelli Bryant, 34, is charged with three counts of child abuse after authorities said she left abandoned her kids for years in squalor in her Pontiac home.
PONTIAC, Mich (FOX 2) - Kelli Bryant, the mom charged with abandoning three of her four kids for years to live in squalor in a Pontiac home, is now facing additional charges of welfare fraud.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced the charges against the 34-year-old Bryant, saying that while she abandoned them, she collected overpayments from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – which were obtained fraudulently.
"The defendant appears to have effectively abandoned her children while collecting their public assistance," said McDonald. "This crime is, first and foremost, a theft from Kelli Bryant’s children. These resources were intended to ensure they had the basic necessities denied to them. The children deserved better."
By the numbers:
McDonald said Bryant started collecting money from MDHHS in January 2022. She continued collecting money through February 2025, when she was arrested.
According to the prosecutor's office, Bryant received $29,397 from the state in those three years.
Welfare fraud over $500 brings a punishment of up to four years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.
The backstory:
Bryant's bond was reduced to $50,000 on Friday – two weeks after it was initially set at $250 million to prevent her from bonding out.
The mom of four was arrested in February after authorities found three of her four children living in filth in a Pontiac condo.
Bryant lived at another home and would occasionally drop food off at the home, authorities said.
Child abuse charges were filed against Bryant on Feb. 19.
Judge lowers $250 million bond for Pontiac mother accused of abuse
Kelli Bryant was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse last month and given a $250 million cash bond. That bond was dropped down to $50,000 cash. Her attorney, Cecilia Quirindongo-Baunsoe, argued Friday that there is no indication that Bryant will not return to court if she is able to post bond.
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.
WARNING: The details of this story 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.
The kids were all wearing soiled clothing with matted hair and toenails so long that it was difficult to walk.
The Source: The Oakland County Prosecutor provided the updated charge information for this story. Previous details from stories on FOX2Detroit.com were used in this story.