OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The Oakland County mom who is accused of abandoning her three children for years appeared in court for a pretrial conference on Thursday. This comes after she was released from jail on bond in June.
Kelli Bryant, 34, of Pontiac, has been charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse after authorities found her three children — a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old girl — living alone in squalor. She also faces welfare fraud charges.
The pretrial hearing was held before Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Brennan on Thursday, July 10. You can watch the full hearing in the video at the top of this article.
During the hearing, the judge denied Bryant’s motion to quash Judge Cynthia Thomas Walker’s ruling to bind the case over to circuit court.
Brennan found that Walker did not abuse her discretion during the preliminary examination and said, “there’s no question in the court’s mind that to a probable cause standard, the testimony that was presented in front of Judge Walker supported that the crime was committed and that to a probable cause standard she (Bryant) committed it.”
Bryant’s attorney, Cecilia Quirindongo-Baunsoe, said the defense team will likely file an interlocutory appeal, which is an appeal of a ruling while the case is still moving forward.
Another pretrial conference was scheduled for Thursday, July 24, at 1:30 p.m., but that could change if an interlocutory appeal does get filed.
Bryant was released from jail on bond on June 5, and during this pretrial conference, the judge read a note from pretrial supervision regarding her compliance with bond conditions.
The mother has been compliant with her weekly check-ins, had no GPS tether violations and understood her bond conditions, according to the note.
Before this hearing, Bryant last appeared in court on Friday, May 16, 2025, for her preliminary examination.
During that hearing, a judge ruled that there was enough evidence to bind Bryant over to circuit court to stand trial on the child abuse and welfare fraud charges.
Here are the details we learned about the case during Bryant’s preliminary examination on May 16, 2025:
Foul smell at Oakland County home where kids were found made deputy think he was searching for body
During Bryant’s preliminary examination, several witnesses testified, including a deputy who found the children after being called to the Pontiac home for a welfare check in February 2025.
He talked about the horrific conditions of the home and said he thought they’d be checking the home for a dead body due to the foul odor inside.
Bryant had children in her phone as ‘My Oldest Child’ and ‘Kid 2′
An Oakland County investigator testified about extracting data from phones in connection with Bryant’s case.
In Bryant’s phone, she had the oldest child saved as “My Oldest,” and the younger two children were saved in her phone as “Kid 1″ and “Kid 2.”
He also shared several text messages that had been sent between Bryant and her oldest child.
Detective recalls interview with Bryant after kids were found, pediatrician discusses clinic visit
A detective talked about calling Bryant in for an interview after the kids were found.
He said he got in contact with Bryant that day and that she took a Lyft to get to the Pontiac substation.
The detective said Bryant arrived wearing clean clothes and long fake nails, and that her hair was done, which surprised him considering the conditions the children were found in.
Bryant admitted that “her actions were selfish,” and she said she sacrificed her children for herself. The detective said he was surprised by how confident her admission was.
A pediatrician also testified about when the kids were brought into an outpatient clinic for a basic examination.
She said the oldest child has brown spots inside his mouth, possibly lesions, and the middle child had a hard time standing, and her skin was darkened.
The doctor said all three had difficulty seeing, and they were squinting. A screening chart was used, and she determined they had near-sightedness. She also expressed concerns for the youngest child, claiming she may be developmentally delayed and immature for her age.
Click here to read more on the testimony from these witnesses.