3 Children Deserted in Filthy Michigan Dwelling, Mother Arrested: Police

A Michigan mom has been arrested after abandoning her three kids in “absolute squalor” for years.

Police discovered a 15-year-old boy and his two sisters, aged 12 and 13 throughout a welfare verify at a house within the 600 block of Lydia Lane in Pontiac on Friday, Feb. 14, the Oakland County sheriff’s workplace introduced in a press launch.

“They have been sporting dirty clothes, their hair was matted, and their toenails have been a number of inches lengthy, making it troublesome to stroll,” the sheriff’s workplace stated. “…It appeared the women had not been outdoors the house for a number of years. The boy slept on a mattress on the ground whereas the women slept on pizza containers.”

Per police, their 34-year-old mom was arrested with out incident on the identical day and is being held on the Oakland County Jail. 

Authorities have been known as to the residence by the owner after not seeing the mom since December. The owner added that the final lease paid on the dwelling was in October 2024. 

Police stated they discovered the house “in deplorable form” with rubbish “piled as excessive as 4 ft” in some rooms and “mould and human waste was discovered all through, with the bathroom overflowing and feces within the bathtub.”

The boy informed authorities that he and his sisters had been residing alone on the dwelling since 2020 or 2021. The youngsters had not attended faculty since being deserted.

“They survived on the ready meals their mom or a stranger would depart on the entrance porch every week,” the sheriff’s workplace famous of their assertion. “The mom didn’t go away rest room paper or private hygiene gadgets. The mom had contact with the boy, however it appeared she had not seen the women in years.”

The youngsters have been transported to a hospital for analysis earlier than being positioned within the custody of a relative by way of Baby Protecting Companies. The mom informed authorities that the youngsters’s father was not of their lives. 

Neighbor Emma Gross informed WXYZ-TV Detroit, “All people’s upset about this … that is proper in our neighborhood, how may one thing like this occur?”

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard additionally famous, “All through my intensive profession on this discipline, I’ve by no means encountered a situation as dire and extended as this one, involving abandonment, neglect, and abuse of the very best order.”

“This example could be deemed deplorable and insupportable for an animal, and it’s totally unacceptable for 3 kids.”

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The sheriff’s workplace added in an up to date submit on X (previously Twitter) on Monday, Feb. 17, that they’re “gathering donations for the three kids we recovered over the weekend from a horrendous state of affairs.”