A Michigan woman has pleaded no contest to child abuse charges after authorities discovered three children living alone for years in a home described as being in a state of extreme squalor. Kelli Bryant, 35, of Pontiac, agreed to the plea as part of a deal that carries a six-year prison sentence.
When sheriff's deputies entered the residence in February 2025 after the landlord reported unpaid rent, they found the children, aged 15, 13, and 12, living without adult supervision since approximately 2020 or 2021. Police evidence specialists reportedly wore hazmat suits due to the conditions inside the home, which included extensive trash and feces.
Bryant, who was living elsewhere in Pontiac at the time of the discovery, is scheduled to return to court in September for sentencing. Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald stated that the plea agreement would spare the children from having to testify at a trial and ensures Bryant will remain incarcerated until all three children reach adulthood. "I’m hopeful the children she victimized will continue to have the space and resources to heal from this abhorrent trauma," McDonald said.
According to Sheriff Mike Bouchard, the children's father had lost contact with them while he was in prison for an unrelated offense. He was reportedly barred from seeing them by Bryant upon his release.