PONTIAC (WWJ) -- An Oakland County mother who abandoned her three children for years is heading to prison.
Kelli Bryant, 35, of Pontiac, pleaded no contest on Thursday to three counts of child abuse.
She was sentenced to at least six years behind bars, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office.
Investigators said the children were found living in squalor in a Pontiac apartment back in February of 2025.
Bryant had been living there with her four children in 2019.
At some point in 2020 or 2021 she moved out, leaving three of the kids behind and sending the fourth to live with their father, according to Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.
They were kept from going outside or attending school, while Bryant would only occasionally drop off food.
When found, officials said the children's bodies and clothes were covered in feces, and the girls had difficulty walking.
Bryant's parental rights were terminated in family court in April.
“This plea will spare the children from testifying at trial and ensures Bryant remains incarcerated until they are all adults,” said McDonald, in a statement. “I'm hopeful the children she victimized will continue to have the space and resources to heal from this abhorrent trauma.”
Bryant pleaded as charged to three counts of Welfare Fraud back in December.
