PONTIAC, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A Pontiac woman who effectively abandoned her children to live alone in an apartment with no running water or functioning toilets for years has been sentenced to prison.

A judge sentenced 35-year-old Kelli Marie Bryant to six to 30 years in prison.

Bryant pleaded no contest to three counts of first-degree child abuse in July. While a no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, Bryant accepted conviction and sentencing without contesting the charges. In addition, Bryant pleaded as charged to three counts of welfare fraud in December and was sentenced to two years of probation for those offenses.

A court stripped Bryant of her parental rights in April.

Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies discovered the children during a welfare check in February 2025. In addition to living alone, the children did not go outside or attend school. Bryant periodically dropped off food at their doorstep.

“This sentence holds Kelli Bryant accountable for the horrific neglect of three children,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “Her plea spared the children from testifying at trial and ensures she remains incarcerated until they are all adults. I’m hopeful her victims will continue to have the space and resources to heal from this abhorrent trauma.”