PONTIAC, MI - A 35-year-old woman from Michigan actively facing several counts of first-degree child abuse was sentenced on separate charges of welfare fraud linked to the ongoing child abuse investigation. Authorities claim the woman left her three children to essentially look after themselves in a feces-ridden home for years.
On June 17, 35-year-old Kelli Bryant was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered restitution in excess of $29,000 by Oakland Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Brennan. The mother of three pleaded guilty in December 2025 to charges of collecting public assistance despite reportedly leaving her children unattended for years.
Sentencing in the welfare fraud case was reportedly stalled due to then-ongoing mental health evaluations to determine whether Bryant was competent enough to be sentenced and also continue with a separate criminal case alleging child abuse of her three children.
According to authorities, Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies first learned of the alleged child abandonment back in February 2025 after conducting a welfare check at the defendant’s residence in Pontiac. Reportedly Bryant’s landlord had contacted authorities after not hearing or receiving rent from Bryant for several months.
In a February 16, 2025, press release from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office regarding the case, officials claimed Bryant had “abandoned her three children for years, leaving them to live alone in absolute squalor and survive only on weekly drop-offs of prepared food.”
The children, who were ages 15, 13 and 12 at the time law enforcement conducted the welfare check, had reportedly been abandoned since either 2020 or 2021, according to what the children allegedly told investigators. All three children had reportedly not attended school during the aforementioned period and were found living amongst garbage reportedly stacked as high as four feet with mold and fecal matter scattered around the home. Authorities say Bryant had maintained some degree of contact with the 15-year-old, but had not seen or spoken to her two young daugthers for years.
When the children were given an evaluation at an area hospital following the welfare check, authorities noted all three “were wearing soiled clothing, their hair was matted, and their toenails were several inches long, making it difficult to walk.”
Oakland County Sheriff’s Detective John Brish also testified in court back in May of 2025 that when he interviewed Bryant regarding the abuse allegations, he was surprised by Bryant’s personal appearance in comparison to her children’s, highlighting her polished look consisting of fake nails, done-up hair, and overall clean attire. Detective Brish also mentioned that the home where the children lived smelled so bad, he was expecting to find a decomposing body.
Bryant’s trial regarding the three counts of first-degree child abuse is slated to begin on August 10. If found guilty on all counts, Bryant could be sentenced to life in prison.
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