US woman charged after children left in 'revolting' squalor for years

A woman in the United States has been accused of abandoning her three children, leaving them to live alone for years in a house filled with garbage and feces. After police forced their way into the residence and discovered the sickening, squalid conditions, the woman was charged with child abuse. The case occurred in Oakland County, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald stated, "These three children were entrusted to the care of their mother… but the evidence shows she abandoned them, in reality, to a disgusting, trash-filled, and filthy environment." She further added that what shocked her most was the "absence of love," with the children left unattended and uncared for. This neglect had a profound impact on their well-being.

Reportedly, the 34-year-old mother, identified by McDonald as Kelley Bryant, has been detained and is awaiting a court hearing scheduled for Thursday local time. It is understood that police entered the house in Pontiac last Friday after receiving a call from the landlord, who had not received rent since October of last year. The landlord's concern prompted the welfare check.

Prosecutor McDonald stated that police were "surprised to find anyone living at the location because it did not appear to be habitable at all," noting that the toilets were unusable. The three children, a 15-year-old boy and two girls aged 12 and 13, hid when the police entered the house. The children were covered in feces, and the girls even had difficulty walking outside.

The prosecutor added that in the hospital, the children had difficulty flushing toilets and brushing their teeth, "because they hadn't done those things in years." McDonald stated that the children may have been living alone since 2020 or 2021, only contacting their mother via text message when they needed food. Their mother, meanwhile, resided elsewhere in Pontiac, approximately 30 kilometers north of Detroit, further highlighting the abandonment.