Oakland Co. Mom Abandons 3 Kids In Garbage-Filled Home For Years: Cops

PONTIAC, MI — An Oakland County woman was arrested Friday after abandoning her kids in a home with deplorable conditions for several years, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Officers were called to a Pontiac home Friday afternoon in the 600 block of Lydia Lane where they found the children, a 15-year-old boy, and 12- and 13-year-old girls living in "absolute squalor," officials said.

They were wearing soiled clothing, their hair was matted and their toenails were several inches long, making it difficult to walk, officials said.

The children were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation and placed in the custody of a relative by Child Protective Services, 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," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "This situation would be deemed deplorable and intolerable for an animal, and it is utterly unacceptable for three children."

The landlord said he had not heard from the mother since December, rent wasn't paid since October and he was concerned about the family's wellbeing, officials said.

When officers arrived, they found the home in deplorable shape with garbage piled as high as 4 feet in some rooms, officials said.

There was also mold and human waste was found throughout the home, with the toilet overflowing and feces in the bathtub, officials said.

Officers found the boy and his sisters, who had locked themselves in the bathroom but opened the door when asked, officials said.

The boy told officers that he and his sisters had been living in the home alone since his mother left them in 2020 or 2021, officials said.

He told officers they survived on the prepared food their mother or a stranger would leave on the front porch each week, officials said.

The mother did not leave toilet paper or personal hygiene items, officials said.

The children had not attended school since their mother left them alone in the home, and they passed time by watching television or playing games, officials said.

Officials said the boy slept on a mattress on the floor while the girls slept on pizza boxes.

Officials believe the children did not know how to use personal items or even knew how to flush a toilet.

An evidence technician in a HAZMAT suit processed the scene.

Neighbors told officers they did not know the children were living alone in the home and never saw them outside, officials said.

Officials believe the girls had not been outside the home for several years.

The neighbors did see the mother drop things off at the home each month, officials said.

Officials said the mother had contact with the boy, but believe she has not seen the girls in years.

Officers found the mother at another location and arrested her without incident, officials said.

The 34-year-old woman, whose identity was not released, was placed in the Oakland County Jail as investigators prepare to turn over their findings to the prosecutor's office.

The mother told investigators the father of the children was not involved in their lives, officials said.

Investigators did not say why the mother abandoned the children or what she was doing when she wasn't at the home.

Those looking to help the children can donate new and gently used items to the sheriff's department’s headquarters at 1200 N Telegraph, 38 E., or at the Pontiac substation just off of Widetrack.