A Michigan mother has been sentenced after she was accused of abandoning her three children for years, leaving them to live in a home filled with garbage and feces while she lived separately.
Kelli Bryant, 35, of Pontiac, was sentenced Wednesday to two years of probation and ordered to pay nearly $30,000 in restitution after pleading guilty last year to welfare fraud. She still faces three counts of first-degree child abuse and is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 10. A judge ruled Wednesday that she is competent to be sentenced and to stand trial.
The case came to light in February 2025 when the landlord of the home contacted the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for a welfare check after months without contact or rent payment. Deputies reportedly found garbage piled up to four feet high, an overflowing toilet, and mold throughout the residence.
According to investigators, the children — a 15-year-old boy and two girls, ages 12 and 13 — had been living alone since around 2020. The boy reportedly slept on a mattress while his sisters slept on pizza boxes. Authorities say the children had not attended school in years and spent their days watching television.
Officials said the children were found with matted hair, soiled clothing, and overgrown toenails that made walking difficult. They were taken to a hospital for evaluation and placed in the custody of a relative through Child Protective Services.
Investigators said Bryant appeared well-groomed when questioned and allegedly told a detective she had prioritized herself over her children. Authorities also said her phone listed the children under labels rather than their names, while the children reportedly had saved her as “World’s greatest mom.”
The sheriff’s office described the case as one of the most severe instances of neglect encountered in the department’s history.
