In a shocking case from Michigan, three children were found living in squalid conditions in a house littered with feces, with the two girls using pizza boxes as makeshift beds. The mother, 34-year-old Kelli Bryant, stands accused of neglecting her children for several years. Despite the appalling conditions her children were found in, Bryant presented herself immaculately during a police interview, complete with clean clothes and manicured nails, as per a detective’s account during a preliminary hearing.
Detective John Brish from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, who interviewed Bryant, was surprised by her appearance and demeanor. Bryant allegedly admitted to prioritizing her own needs over her children’s, a 15-year-old boy and two girls aged 12 and 13. She reportedly confessed to neglecting her children and potentially compromising their welfare. She also asked if there was anything she could do to help herself.
Prosecutors disclosed that Bryant had saved her children’s numbers in her phone not as their names, but as “My oldest,” “Kid 1,” and “Kid 2.” In a stark contrast, the children had saved her number under the name “World’s greatest mom” or something similar. The children were rescued following a welfare check in February.
Bryant reportedly acknowledged her actions were selfish and had negatively impacted her children’s health. She confessed to neglecting her children for her own benefit. The deputies described the children’s living conditions as horrific. The first deputy on the scene found the house filled with feces, trash, and cobwebs. The boy had difficulty walking due to his overgrown toenails, while the two girls were found hunched over, holding hands.
Bryant’s attorney argued that the children did not appear to be mentally harmed as they were articulate and intelligent during interviews with investigators. However, Judge Cynthia Thomas Walker ruled that the prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial on child abuse and welfare fraud charges.
The landlord of the home, located in Pontiac, about 25 miles northwest of Detroit, contacted the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office in February for a welfare check as he had not heard from Bryant since December and had not received rent since October. The deputies discovered a severe case of abandonment, neglect, and abuse.
The boy reportedly told deputies that he and his sisters had been living alone since 2020 or 2021. The house was filled with garbage, feces, and mold. The children had not attended school since their abandonment and spent their days watching TV and playing video games. Bryant had contact with her son but had not seen the girls for several years. The boy slept on a mattress while the girls slept on pizza boxes. Food was dropped off on the porch weekly by their mother or a “stranger.”
Neighbors reported seeing the mother dropping off food but were unaware that children lived in the house. The children were taken to the hospital for evaluation. They were found in soiled clothes, with matted hair, and had difficulty walking due to their overgrown toenails. The children lacked basic hygiene skills and were placed in the custody of a relative by Child Protective Services.