(WXYZ) — Cleaning crews were on site at the home where three Pontiac kids were left abandoned and living in squalor for years.
Our 7 News Detroit team was outside of the home where we saw crews bringing out furniture and dozens of pizza boxes. Police said the two youngest girls – ages 12 and 13 – slept on pizza boxes.
See video below as crews cleaned out the home
In all, officials say the three kids – the two girls and a 15-year-old boy, were left in squalor, surviving on weekly drop-offs of prepared food. Their mother, 34-year-old Kelli Bryant, was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse and was given a $250 million bond.
Officers conducting a recent welfare check on the home in search of the mother found the children living alone. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the landlord notified them because he hadn't heard from her since December and hadn't received rent since October.
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First responders said that 4-foot piles of garbage were found in some rooms. Mold and human excrement were found throughout the house. Bouchard said the toilet had stopped working, and the bathtub was filled with feces.
He called the case "very horrific."
Law enforcement said that the children had not attended school since their abandonment, which is believed to have been sometime around 2020-2021, passing the time watching television or playing games. It was reported that the girls had not been outside the home for several years, with the boy sleeping on a mattress on the floor while the girls slept on pizza boxes.
The prosecutor said the children were hiding when police arrived and were afraid to speak to them.
Press conference: Sheriff Michael Bouchard updates abandoned children case
The children were taken to the hospital for evaluation, reportedly with soiled clothes, matted hair and toenails so long that it was difficult to walk.
"We say a lot ‘this is the worst I’ve ever seen' and I’ve stopped saying that, because every time I say that, I see something worse," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said.
Bouchard said the children are making great strides since beginning to receive care. They have been forensically interviewed by professionals at CARE House of Oakland County. They were also seen once at McLaren Oakland Hospital. Bouchard said they will also receive a much more in-depth physical and mental health checkup in the near future.
Neighbors told police they did see a woman drop off stuff at the home from time to time, but they never saw the kids leave the house.
