Kelli Marie Bryant, the 34-year-old mother accused of leaving her children to live alone in a squalid Pontiac, Michigan, home for four years, was arraigned by a judge on three counts of first-degree child abuse on Feb. 20.
Last week, Bryant’s children were discovered living alone in conditions that were so foul, police evidence technicians donned hazmat suits to enter, according to the Associated Press.
Bryant entered a not-guilty plea. Judge Ronda Gross’s response: a $250 million cash bond. The high amount was because Bryant reportedly has two different home addresses and has shown evidence in the past of being a flight risk.
Until her next court appearance on March 4, Bryant has been ordered to have no contact with any children if she’s released on bail.
As previously reported by Fox 2 Detroit, Bryant’s three children, ages 15, 13, and 12, were discovered living inside that dirty Pontiac home on Feb. 14 after Bryant’s landlord called a welfare check for the home. He hadn’t received rent from Bryant in months.
The sheriff’s office reported that Bryant left her children four years ago and would only return to drop off food on the porch.
The home’s condition was described as “in squalor.” The rooms teemed with garbage and were covered in mold and human feces. The children had no access to a working bathroom or hygiene products. They mostly slept on the floor.
Bryant’s children had not attended school since she left and had not been outside of the apartment in several years before they were found.
“This situation would be deemed deplorable and intolerable for an animal, and it is utterly unacceptable for three children,” Pontiac Sheriff Mike Bouchard said. “They have been deprived of any interaction with their mother and have not received an education for years.”
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