A Michigan woman accused of leaving three children alone for years in a house of squalor pleaded no contest to child abuse in an agreement that carries a six-year prison sentence, authorities said. The kids, ages 15, 13, and 12, had lived on their own since 2020 or 2021, with occasional food drops on the porch and amid trash and feces, police said.
Conditions at the Home
Conditions at the Pontiac home were so offensive that police evidence specialists wore hazmat suits when the children were discovered in February 2025. The father lost contact with the kids while in prison in an unrelated matter and was barred by their mother from seeing them when he was released, Sheriff Mike Bouchard said when the mother, Kelli Bryant, was arrested.
Bryant, 35, who was living elsewhere in Pontiac, pleaded no contest to abuse and will return to court in September for her sentencing. A message seeking comment from her attorney was not immediately returned.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said, “This plea will spare the children from testifying at trial and ensures Bryant remains incarcerated until they are all adults.” McDonald added, “I’m hopeful the children she victimized will continue to have the space and resources to heal from this abhorrent trauma.”
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.