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

[BetteDavisEyes]

Here’s why Oakland County mom accused of abandoning children for years is back in court today

The Oakland County mother accused of abandoning her three children to live alone in a filthy home for years is back in court on Tuesday after allegedly calling her children’s caregiver multiple times.

www.clickondetroit.com

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The Oakland County mother accused of abandoning her three children to live alone in a filthy home for years is back in court on Tuesday after allegedly calling her children’s caregiver multiple times.

Kelli Bryant, who faces multiple charges of child abuse and welfare fraud, allegedly violated a judge’s order not to contact her children or their caregiver...

 

[IAMWAN]

Oakland County mom accused of abandoning kids gets communication privileges suspended for one week

An Oakland County mom accused of leaving her three kids to live alone in deplorable conditions for years has had her communication privileges revoked for one week after violating a court order.

www.clickondetroit.com

"“At this point, it appears to me that there was a flagrant violation of the court order,” said Walker. “I am confident that you have now reviewed this with her, Ms. Quirindongo with your client, Ms. Bryant, so there will be no additional such calls. However, the violation is a flagrant one, so I am going to temporarily suspend her jail communication privileges for a period of one week because I want to make sure that she understands the court orders are exactly that.”

 

[tlcya]

During the hearing, Bryant’s defense attorney, Cecilia Quirindongo-Baunsoe, said they never received a written copy of the bond conditions that stated Bryant was to have absolutely no contact with the caregiver.

The attorney also told the judge she had no recollection of that being a court order.

“If I had known, I would have had a conversation with Ms. Bryant,” said Cecilia Quirindongo-Baunsoe.
Oakland County mom accused of abandoning kids gets communication privileges suspended for one week

I may have to go back and rewatch the last hearing because the court ordering defendant to have no contact with the children or their caregiver was I am almost sure ordered verbally during that hearing. That the defense attorney was present for. So if I am remembering correctly, she knew damn well her client was to avoid contact with kids and caregiver.

ETA just rewatched that bond reduction hearing and the judge verbally outlined the conditions of the bond to include zero contact with any minor children, zero contact with her victims, to include no contact with them through the adults in currently in control of those children/victims. around the 31:00 mark of the hearing video posted several pages back.

So my take is the defense attorney (whose accent sounds almost Amish to me BTW) is being purposefully obtuse when she claims not to know there was an order. She is pretending to only think that restriction was meant to be in place if her client was bailed out of jail. MOO she knows better. She is being disingenuous with her denial.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2025/03/24/can-allegedly-abandoned-pontiac-kids-recover-experts-explore-the-chances/82637063007/

Three children who Oakland County prosecutors said were abandoned in a Pontiac condominium for nearly five years without adequate food or a working bathroom will need years of support but can recover.

The 15-year-old boy and two girls, ages 13 and 12, were discovered Feb. 14 in a condominium on Lydia Lane in the Stonegate Pointe condominium complex. Their mother, Kelli Bryant, 34, allegedly moved out as far back as spring 2020.

Prosecutors say the prepared food that their mother dropped off or had delivered, usually once a week, wasn’t always enough. The children didn’t have toilet paper, personal hygiene items or cleaning supplies. They allegedly had no contact with their mother or anyone else and hadn’t been to school for almost five years...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Why Oakland County woman accused of abandoning kids in filthy home for years was in court this week

The Oakland County mom accused of abandoning her three kids and leaving them to live alone in filthy conditions for years was back in court this week.

www.clickondetroit.com

...Bryant was later charged with welfare fraud, and she appeared in court virtually before Judge Cynthia Thomas Walker for a probable cause conference on those charges on March 25.

During the hearing, Bryant’s defense attorney, Cecilia Quirindongo-Baunsoe, said she received around 600 pages of discovery to review and asked to set another probable cause conference...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Oakland County mom accused of abandoning kids in filthy home for years due in court -- Here’s why

A Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her three children to live in a filthy home alone for years is expected to go in front of a judge Tuesday.

www.clickondetroit.com

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – A Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her three children to live in a filthy home alone for years is expected to go in front of a judge Tuesday.

...A probable cause conference is set for April 15, 2025, at 2 p.m...

 

[tlcya]

@BetteDavisEyes ty this article describes more fully the bond reduction that took place back in March on this case. Her bond was modified to a $29,397 on the Federal Welfare fraud charges. Her bond on the first-degree child abuse charges was reduced to $50,000 and it remains unpaid and therefore Ms. Bryant remains in custody.

 

[Jo in Calif]

"There's nobody that has $50,000 cash," Quirindongo-Baunsoe said, "so she does still believe, as do I, that it's an unreasonable bond and would like to address it again."


The effort didn't go anywhere as the judge declined to change things.


"At this point, because no new information has been produced, I would be continuing the bond at this time," said Judge Cynthia Walker.


The next time Bryant will see the judge is during the preliminary exam, a hearing that will determine whether Bryant's case should head to trial.

Pontiac mom requests lower bond in child abuse case ahead of preliminary hearing

The Oakland County mother accused of abandoning her kids returned to court Tuesday morning for a probable cause conference in Pontiac district court.

www.fox2detroit.com

 

[Gemmie]

"There's nobody that has $50,000 cash," Quirindongo-Baunsoe said, "so she does still believe, as do I, that it's an unreasonable bond and would like to address it again."

You'd think that an attorney would make factual claims. Yes, there are people that can cough up $50K in cash. Well, in check form. lol Did they mean there's nobody that she knows that has $50K cash?. That would be believable to me.

 

[tlcya]

You'd think that an attorney would make factual claims. Yes, there are people that can cough up $50K in cash. Well, in check form. lol Did they mean there's nobody that she knows that has $50K cash?. That would be believable to me.

I take it to mean there is nobody involved (defendant or her support system) that has that kind of money laying around. Which is true, most folks don't have that sort of disposable cash just lying around. But what she is really saying in her artful wording IMO is my client doesn't have that kind of money, and nobody associated with her is willing to pony up or risk their own assets for that kind of money on behalf of my despicable client..

 

[lightofmine99]

Well we know she was spending as little money as possible on her kids, so why doesn't she have $50K laying around? MOO.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Well we know she was spending as little money as possible on her kids, so why doesn't she have $50K laying around? MOO.

Designer manicures don't come cheap

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Oakland County mom accused of abandoning kids for years -- what happened in court this week

The Oakland County mom accused of abandoning her kids and forcing them to live alone in filthy conditions for years was back in court on Tuesday for hearings on her child abuse and welfare fraud charges.

www.clickondetroit.com

 

[tlcya]

Walker set the preliminary examination and the probable cause conferences for 9 a.m. on Friday, May 16.
Oakland County mom accused of abandoning kids for years -- what happened in court this week

for expediency I think they are right to keep the welfare fraud and child abuse/neglect cases together.

 

[tlcya]

BUMPING, the prelim hearing for both cases against Ms. Bryant is coming up this Friday.

 

[tlcya]

The next time Bryant will see the judge is during the preliminary exam, a hearing that will determine whether Bryant's case should head to trial.

That date is scheduled for May 16 at 9 a.m.
Pontiac mom requests lower bond in child abuse case ahead of preliminary hearing

Fingers crossed she stays right where she is and is held over for trial.

 

[tlcya]

no updates as yet so bringing forth this from the man she was dating at the time of her arrest:

They were dating in the months leading up to the arrest. He said she had told him the kids were with their dad.
[snip]
"It's only so much you can say, because it's still, you know, like, mind-boggling, because it was ... somebody, you know, if you were dating, something like that came up, it'd still be like, damn, because you never see no signs," said Vining.

Vining said she told him she didn't want any more kids.

"She told me she was done having kids, she had four already, she was good ... she said she didn't like babies no more. She was over that," he said.

Bryant added, "It's nobody's fault really, but hers. Nobody else is to be blamed here. I don't care what nobody said. I don't care if nobody never asked about them kids. That was her fault for leaving them kids in their house."
'That was her fault.' Ex-boyfriend of mom charged in Pontiac abandonment case speaks out

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Oakland County mom accused of abandoning kids for years to appear in court. Here’s why

The Oakland County mom accused of abandoning her kids and forcing them to live alone in filthy conditions for years is expected to appear in court on Friday.

www.clickondetroit.com

 

[tlcya]

Prosecutor on the child abuse case believes they will need a half day in court for preliminary examination in terms of the witnesses.

 

[Jo in Calif]

She is disgusting!

When Curtis walked into the home through the garage, he saw a large mold stain on the ceiling, along with feces and trash everywhere.

After that, he entered the home and said there were also piles of trash, feces, and cobwebs throughout the inside of the home as well.

He recalled the foul odor and said he thought they’d be “checking the apartment for a dead body,” due to the smell.

Foul smell at Oakland County home where kids were found made deputy think he was searching for body

The Oakland County mother accused of abandoning her three kids for years is back in court Friday, and a deputy recalled the horrific conditions and foul smell he encountered when he arrived at the home for a welfare check.

www.clickondetroit.com