3 children found living in vile conditions in Pontiac were abandoned 5 years ago, sheriff says
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard says the three children who were found living in a Pontiac home in "deplorable shape" were abandoned by their mother five years ago.
Oakland County deputies received a call on Feb. 14 from a landlord at a residence on the 600 block of Lydia Lane in Pontiac after not hearing from the mother since December 2024. The landlord said rent had not been paid since October, and he was concerned something might have happened.
When deputies arrived at the home, they found it in vile shape. They observed mold and human waste throughout, garbage piled as high as four feet, and an overflowing toilet.
Three children were found in the home: a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl. Authorities said the girls had locked themselves in the bathroom but opened the door when asked.
Officials believe the children were abandoned between the spring and summer of 2020. The father of the children was in jail during the summer of 2020, and while a consent agreement was executed in 2022 for him to see his kids, the mother allegedly didn't allow any contact between them.
Bouchard said the only cleaning products the mother left with the children were trash bags, gloves and Febreze in the summer of 2020.
The three survived on food their mom or a stranger dropped off on the front porch for them weekly. Bouchard said typically, a loaf of bread was left for the children and was expected to last them for several days.
Authorities say the mom did not leave toilet paper or hygiene items for her children. She allegedly had contact with her son but had not seen her two girls in several years. Bouchard said the woman's son only left the house twice in five years to check the mail and feel the grass.
Deputies arrested the 34-year-old mother without incident at a different location. The mother remains in custody, and a charging decision will be announced Wednesday.
The children were taken to an area hospital for evaluation and are currently with relatives.
The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office says it has received the case from the sheriff's office and will review the evidence collected by investigators. Prosecutor Karen McDonald said the case now "a top priority."
"The conditions these children were living in were unspeakably horrific," McDonald said in a statement. "Our team is urgently working to process the evidence and make charging decisions. While it is important to move quickly, we must also be thorough to fully understand what happened in that house and ensure justice is done for these three children."
Bouchard said authorities might have been able to help the three children sooner if the school code required more action from school officials to reach out to law enforcement if they noticed a student missing for a significant amount of time with no explanation.
"If a child doesn't show up to school for a period of time, then it triggers a follow-up where they have to communicate with either a truancy officer or law enforcement to begin an examination of what happened to these kids," he said.
Community members are now rallying to support the three children.
"It's really heartbreaking to hear what happened to those kids. You know, if there's something we could do, we should do it," said Pontiac resident Victoria Gallert.
Donations for the children are being accepted at the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.
Bouchard says the community has donated so many clothes, hygiene items and other necessities that they're now turning the focus to financial donations, which he says have already exceeded between $15,000 and $20,000.
