PONTIAC, Mich. \u2013 An Oakland County mother accused of abandoning her children and leaving them to live in squalor for years on their own was called out by a judge for her current job search.<\/p>\n
Kelli Bryant, of Pontiac, was in court on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, for a pretrial conference. <\/p>\n
In February 2025, Bryant was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse after authorities found her three children \u2014 a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old girl \u2014 living alone in squalor. <\/p>\n
Officials said garbage was piled as high as four feet in some rooms and that mold and feces were found throughout the home.<\/p>\n
They survived on food drop-offs that Bryant sent using services like DoorDash and Instacart, but they allegedly were never sent toilet paper, soap or shampoo during their abandonment.<\/p>\n
Previous coverage: Foul smell at Oakland County home where kids were found made deputy think he was searching for body<\/a><\/p>\n She was later issued welfare fraud charges for collecting her kids\u2019 public assistance. <\/p>\n During the hearing, Oakland County Judge Mary Ellen Brennan said Bryant\u2019s sentencing in the welfare fraud case was initially scheduled to happen on Wednesday, but a presentence investigation referral had not been made. <\/p>\n Bryant\u2019s attorney, Cecilia Quirindongo-Baunsoe, told the judge that the referral had been made, so the judge scheduled the sentencing date in the welfare fraud case for March 12. Bryant pleaded no contest to three counts<\/a> of welfare fraud as part of a plea agreement in December 2025. <\/p>\n In the Pontiac woman\u2019s child abuse case, her attorney submitted a deviation request for a charge reduction or sentencing agreement. Since the prosecution received the request yesterday, they asked for another pretrial conference date to be set in late February, so they have time to review it. <\/p>\n The judge set that hearing for Feb. 25. Otherwise, the defense and prosecution confirmed that they are prepared to go to trial on March 2.<\/p>\n After that, the judge reviewed a note she received from pretrial supervision, which said Bryant is compliant with her daily supervision check-ins. <\/p>\n The judge also asked about Bryant\u2019s employment.<\/p>\n During a previous hearing that resulted in Bryant\u2019s bond being reduced from $250 million to $50,000, Oakland County Judge Cynthia Thomas Walker raised several concerns, including Bryant\u2019s employment status, residency, ties to the community and family, and her financial history.<\/p>\n At the time, her attorney said that before Bryant\u2019s arrest, she was employed and paid through the state of Michigan.<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Bryant did inform me of who the person at the state of Michigan that was responsible for her was, and she provided me with that name,\u201d Quirindongo-Baunsoe previously said. \u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s a very common name within the Department of Health and Human Services, so I was not able to obtain specific information.\u201d<\/p>\n Quirindongo-Baunsoe also previously told the court that the amount that Bryant made at her job would not be enough to post bond.<\/p>\n