Woman allegedly abandons children for years, garbage and feces found in Michigan home

PONTIAC, Mich. -- A Michigan mother was arrested on Friday for allegedly abandoning her children for several years, leaving them in deplorable conditions, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Department.

The 34-year-old woman from Pontiac, Michigan, deserted her three children, a 15-year-old boy and two daughters ages 12 and 13, for approximately four to five years, "leaving them to live alone in absolute squalor," officials said.

"Throughout my extensive career in this field, I have never encountered a scenario as dire and prolonged as this one, involving abandonment, neglect and abuse of the highest order," Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard said in a statement.

The children were discovered on Friday afternoon, when deputies received a call from a landlord to perform a welfare check at a house in the 600-block of Lydia Lane. The landlord was concerned about the residents, since he had not heard from the mother since December and had not received rent since October.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they found the three children in the home alone living in horrific conditions. In some rooms of the house, garbage was piled as high as four feet, along with mold and human feces found throughout the residence. The bathtub and toilets were overflowing with human excrement, and authorities said the mother did not leave any toilet paper or personal hygiene products.

"It appeared that the children were unfamiliar with how to use personal hygiene items or know how to flush a toilet," the sheriff's department said.

The boy told authorities that he and his two sisters had been living alone since 2020 or 2021, and that the three of them survived on prepared food their mother or a stranger would deliver once a week. He told authorities he had been in contact with his mother, but it appeared "she had not seen the girls in years."

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"It kind of reminds me of the commercials you see where animals are living in very deplorable conditions," Bouchard told ABC News. "Take that times 10, and that's what the kids were living in for years."

The children had not attended school since their abandonment, passing time by watching television and playing games. When discovered, the children were wearing soiled clothing, had matted hair and toenails several inches long making it challenging to walk. The boy slept on a mattress while the two girls slept on pizza boxes, officials said.

The woman was found at another location and arrested without incident, officials said. She told authorities the father of the children was not involved in their lives.

Neighbors were not aware of the children's living conditions and told authorities they only saw the mother dropping things off at the house.

"Everybody is upset about it," said Pontiac resident Emma Gross, who lives a few streets over from where the children were found. "This is right in our neighborhood, how could something like this happen?"

The mother is being held at Oakland County Jail and officials said detectives are expected to hand over the case to prosecutors for review in the next few days. The children were examined at a hospital for evaluation and have been placed in custody of a relative via Child Protective Services, officials said.

Bouchard said the "far-reaching consequences of this abuse must be acknowledged" and that the department plans to figure out how these children "fell through the cracks on so many levels with relatives, the community and with schools."

"We look forward to presenting this case to the prosecutor and ensuring that she faces the consequences of her actions," Bouchard said.

The mother's identity is not being released as she shares the same name as one of her children, officials said.