Mother arrested after abandoning her 3 children in an apartment for 4 years, Pontiac MI

[TMich6811]

Three Michigan kids were found in deplorable living conditions after police say their mother abandoned them years ago.
….
Sheriff Michael Bouchard said a 15-year-old boy and his two sisters, ages 12 and 13, had not been outside of the home in years. They were surviving on weekly drop-offs of prepared food.

“It reminds me of the commercials you see where animals are living in very deplorable conditions,” Bouchard said. “Well, kind of take that times 10 and that’s what the kids were living in.”

Mother arrested for abandoning kids in home for over 4 years, sheriff says

A Michigan mother has been arrested after abandoning her three kids in a home for years, according to investigators.

www.live5news.com

 

[TMich6811]

According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the case was sent to the prosecutor's office on Monday, three days after three children — ages 12, 13 and 15 — were found on Friday living in "absolute squalor" in a Pontiac home: Rooms were covered in human waste. Garbage was piled 4 feet high. Two of the children slept on pizza boxes. The children's toenails were so long they struggled to walk. They lived off food that was dropped off weekly by their mother or a stranger, according to the sheriff’s office.

'Horrific' case of 3 children living alone in squalor for years now in prosecutor's hands

Three children are now living with a relative and their mother could be facing charges after they were found abandoned and living in squalor.

www.freep.com

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I like the Sheriff interviewed in this news story. He seems thoughtful.

Mother arrested for abandoning kids in home for over 4 years, sheriff says

A Michigan mother has been arrested after abandoning her three kids in a home for years, according to investigators.

www.live5news.com

It's impossible to understand a parent doing this. She was fine with her children living alone in harmful conditions and not going to school nor living anything close to a normal life.

Stops paying rent in October and the children are only found because the landlord requested a welfare check.

A few things I wonder:
- Why did no father nor other relatives ever visit the kids?
- Why didn't she just drop the kids off in a safe place? What did she think would eventually happen to her children?
- Why didn't the school take action when they stopped attending?
- Why didn't the landlord do at least a yearly inspection of the property? I don't know the law there, but in some places they can as long as they give written notice that they are coming over. Does anyone know the law for MI?
- Did someone besides their mother drop off food? If so, I hope they will also be charged, if they knew kids were living there alone.

 

[tlcya]

According to police, neighbors on the otherwise idyllic-looking street had no idea what was going on inside.
'Horrific' case of 3 children living alone in squalor for years now in prosecutor's hands

Neighbors told deputies they did not know the children lived in the home and never saw them outside, but would see the mother dropping things off.
3 Michigan children found living alone in 'absolute squalor' after mother abandoned them for years

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I understand not releasing the mother's name from the protect the identity of the abused children perspective. But it will make it nearly impossible to follow her prosecution without a name. The press, while all scrambling to cover this case now with their salacious sells headlines, will fade away on to bigger headlinier stories within weeks. I for one want to watch this case play out so we can be sure their 'mother' never ever ever has the opportunity to do this again. Michigan is a reunification state and this woman should never have the chance to disregard and abandon her kids again.

JMO MOO IMO

 

[tlcya]

And who was the stranger who sometimes dropped off food when it wasn't the mom? Only one stranger, not multiple strangers, is mentioned as having dropped off prepared foods, so I don't think she was door dashing the kids food. So who was that stranger?

The kids are now with relatives. Which relatives? How is it those relatives did not know of their plight? Had they not seen the children in the four to five years they'd been left to their own devices? Had they seen the mother in that time? Where did she explain the children were to those who might inquire? How do three children in one household suddenly stop attending school and nobody follows up to check on the truancy?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

3 Michigan children found living alone in 'absolute squalor' after mother abandoned them for years

“This situation would be deemed deplorable and intolerable for an animal, and it is utterly unacceptable for three children,” the sheriff said.

www.nbcnews.com

Three children were found living alone in "absolute squalor" in a Pontiac, Michigan, rental home after their mother abandoned them years ago, authorities said.

The 34-year-old mother was arrested last week, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Sunday. To protect the identity of the children — aged 15, 13 and 12 — her name was not released.

Sheriff Michael Bouchard called the children's living conditions "abuse of the highest order." Human waste and mold were found inside the home, garbage was thrown everywhere, and the children survived on weekly drop-offs of prepared food, the sheriff's office said...

 

[Jo in Calif]

The mother was found at a different location and arrested without incident, authorities say. When talking to deputies, she said the father of the children is not involved in their lives.

My guess is that the mother was living with her boyfriend, possibly with another child or two.
One tiny tiny good thing, if this is the case, she didn't pull a Susan Smith. IMO.

Pontiac mother arrested after 3 children found living in vile conditions, sheriff says

A 34-year-old Pontiac mother is in custody after Oakland County authorities found three children living at a home in "deplorable shape."

www.cbsnews.com

 

[anneoakley63]

And who was the stranger who sometimes dropped off food when it wasn't the mom? Only one stranger, not multiple strangers, is mentioned as having dropped off prepared foods, so I don't think she was door dashing the kids food. So who was that stranger?

The kids are now with relatives. Which relatives? How is it those relatives did not know of their plight? Had they not seen the children in the four to five years they'd been left to their own devices? Had they seen the mother in that time? Where did she explain the children were to those who might inquire? How do three children in one household suddenly stop attending school and nobody follows up to check on the truancy?

These are the questions going through my head as well. I learned about this case on Monday and it shook me to the core. How did no one know what was going on? Did the mother have them hidden? What did she tell them to create an environment that would prevent them from leaving the home? So many questions.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

There seemed to be a close up of the doors.
It looked to me that there was no doorknob on the inside, which would mean that the children had no way of getting out through the doors.
I think that maybe the windows were locked as well.

 

[Gemmie]

Good god. The picture of the toilet in MSM is beyond disgusting!!! It makes me wonder if the water to the house had been turned off cuz that toilet is something that nightmares are made of. What a horrible person that "mother" is.

 

[AislingGray18]

I have seen a parent do this, in an apartment. Now, IDK about this situation, but...
We, the family, knew how bad it was. Most of us had lived that way and escaped ourselves. We tried. We all tried. We called 911, 211, CPS hundreds of times, the apartment manager, HUD, truancy board, anyone we could think of to get those teens and tweens out.

No one came. And the times police or someone in authority did come, the kids hid, no one opened the door. It took years of this, before me calling the fire department, telling them what was going on, and that the smoke alarms had all been removed...and to NOT tell the apartment manager ahead of time, for anything to be done.
It took the fire marshall himself calling CPS and police and demand the children be removed to get them help, and by then, only two were still minors.

This was a home of hoarding, drugs, predators, and it was in a high density apartment. Everyone Knew. But we ourselves were too afraid to go and try and remove the kids ourselves, it would have become violent. And we had no legal standing, the police always told us we could not, it was kidnapping. So we were stuck.

Alot happened during Covid, as we can all see from being here. So many children were lost, IDK that we will ever really know how many. My own family was right on the edge. I know for my former stepkids and their cousins, losing the school support...well that was their only stability, and without it, my own family had many children fall through the cracks that needed help.

 

[Marfe]

I know plenty of families where there is no contact with other relatives, that does not really stand out to me or seem all that weird. If mom unenrolled the kids during 2020/2021 to homeschool, during/after pandemic, it explains no truancy reports as well. Mom can easily have lied to others saying the kids were with her family (''but we are estranged so they do no visit me" or 'went to live with dad', etc.) Easy to explain away I guess. Just so very sad for those kids. I read they just played videogames etc, but neighbours never saw them outside, so I guess they had no contact with anyone from the outside world. If eldest was 10 when they stopped school, that makes sense (sadly).

I hope the kids are recovering and that mom faces the consequences of her choices and actions.

 

[lonetraveler]

According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the case was sent to the prosecutor's office on Monday, three days after three children — ages 12, 13 and 15 — were found on Friday living in "absolute squalor" in a Pontiac home: Rooms were covered in human waste. Garbage was piled 4 feet high. Two of the children slept on pizza boxes. The children's toenails were so long they struggled to walk. They lived off food that was dropped off weekly by their mother or a stranger, according to the sheriff’s office.

'Horrific' case of 3 children living alone in squalor for years now in prosecutor's hands

Three children are now living with a relative and their mother could be facing charges after they were found abandoned and living in squalor.

www.freep.com

Could be charged???? First her name hasn't been publicized and now, she could be charged. How could she not be charged?

 

[Ontario Mom]

Could be charged???? First her name hasn't been publicized and now, she could be charged. How could she not be charged?

It's entirely likely her name will come out, eventually. I just watched an update on YT on this case and was blown away. Those poor kids.

 

[TMich6811]

And who was the stranger who sometimes dropped off food when it wasn't the mom? Only one stranger, not multiple strangers, is mentioned as having dropped off prepared foods, so I don't think she was door dashing the kids food. So who was that stranger?

The kids are now with relatives. Which relatives? How is it those relatives did not know of their plight? Had they not seen the children in the four to five years they'd been left to their own devices? Had they seen the mother in that time? Where did she explain the children were to those who might inquire? How do three children in one household suddenly stop attending school and nobody follows up to check on the truancy?

I also struggle with the relatives - like they are close enough relatives that they would take them in but not that they were missing for 5 years?!

I’m really struggling with this one because they were old enough to know. They knew from day 1 what was happening to them. And not one person noticed.

I’m guessing they were not turned over to someone so she could collect higher benefits for all of them (imo)

 

[tlcya]

I also struggle with the relatives - like they are close enough relatives that they would take them in but not that they were missing for 5 years?!

I’m really struggling with this one because they were old enough to know. They knew from day 1 what was happening to them. And not one person noticed.

I’m guessing they were not turned over to someone so she could collect higher benefits for all of them (imo)

Quite possibly, would not surprise me in the least. Similar to Gloria Williams, who moved out with her boyfriend leaving the kids there to fend for themselves but kept on collecting the benefits that came with the kids she'd abandoned.

Just horrible. the oldest is 15 now. Meaning when she abandoned them the oldest was 10 to 11 years old. And he had to now be in charge of his little sisters.

 

[Ontario Mom]

My guess about the relatives is that she either lied to them about where the kids were, or just went no contact and the relatives had no idea about the conditions the kids were living in.

I AM thankful the family was located and the kids are with them. Her name is already out there in various locations so someone from MSM will be on to that I'm sure.

jmo

 

[DS2021]

4 years ago theyd be roughly 11 9 and 8

 

[LadyL]

There seemed to be a close up of the doors.
It looked to me that there was no doorknob on the inside, which would mean that the children had no way of getting out through the doors.
I think that maybe the windows were locked as well.

I was wondering that ...

 

[acutename]

4 years ago theyd be roughly 11 9 and 8

yes... and she has been paying rent for most of this time and dropping off food...so does she have one or more other families? illegal employment? mental illness? weird