Overview
- Kelli Bryant pleaded no contest Thursday to three counts of first-degree child abuse and will serve at least six years under a negotiated plea agreement.
- The three children, then ages 15, 13 and 12, were discovered in February 2025 living alone in a Pontiac home with mold, human waste and piles of garbage, and evidence technicians wore hazmat suits when they entered.
- Bryant previously pleaded no contest to welfare-fraud charges in December 2025, was sentenced in June 2026 with about $29,300 in restitution and credit for time served, and had her parental rights terminated in April 2026.
- Court records and reporting say the children have since been placed in a nurturing setting, are attending school, and are receiving treatment for PTSD and learning or intellectual disabilities documented by investigators.
- A formal sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 2026, when a judge will set Bryant’s final term and the case will be monitored as prosecutors and advocates press for long-term services for the children.