OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The Oakland County mom accused of abandoning her three children for years appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon.
Kelli Bryant, of Pontiac, was in court on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, for a pretrial conference.
In February 2025, Bryant was 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.
Officials said garbage was piled as high as four feet in some rooms and that mold and feces were found throughout the home.
They survived on food drop-offs that Bryant sent using services like DoorDash and Instacart, but they allegedly were never sent toilet paper, soap or shampoo during their abandonment.
Previous coverage: Foul smell at Oakland County home where kids were found made deputy think he was searching for body
She was later issued welfare fraud charges for collecting her kids’ public assistance.
During the hearing, Oakland County Judge Mary Ellen Brennan said Bryant’s sentencing in the welfare fraud case was initially scheduled to happen on Wednesday, but a presentence investigation referral had not been made.
Bryant’s attorney, Cecilia Quirindongo-Baunsoe, told the judge that the referral had been made, so the judge scheduled the sentencing date in the welfare fraud case for March 12. Bryant pleaded no contest to three counts of welfare fraud as part of a plea agreement in December 2025.
In the Pontiac woman’s child abuse case, her attorney submitted a deviation request for a charge reduction or sentencing agreement. Since the prosecution received the request yesterday, they asked for another pretrial conference date to be set in late February, so they have time to review it.
The judge set that hearing for Feb. 25. Otherwise, the defense and prosecution confirmed that they are prepared to go to trial on March 2.
After that, the judge reviewed a note she received from pretrial supervision, which said Bryant is compliant with her daily supervision check-ins.
The judge also asked about Bryant’s employment.
During a previous hearing that resulted in Bryant’s bond being reduced from $250 million to $50,000, Oakland County Judge Cynthia Thomas Walker raised several concerns, including Bryant’s employment status, residency, ties to the community and family, and her financial history.
At the time, her attorney said that before Bryant’s arrest, she was employed and paid through the state of Michigan.
“Ms. Bryant did inform me of who the person at the state of Michigan that was responsible for her was, and she provided me with that name,” Quirindongo-Baunsoe previously said. “Unfortunately, it’s a very common name within the Department of Health and Human Services, so I was not able to obtain specific information.”
Quirindongo-Baunsoe also previously told the court that the amount that Bryant made at her job would not be enough to post bond.
Read more: Bond dramatically reduced for Oakland County mom accused of abandoning kids for years in filthy home
After the judge reduced her bond, Bryant posted it and was released from jail on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
When Brennan brought up Bryant’s employment status during the hearing on Wednesday, her attorney said it’s been difficult for Bryant to find a job.
“She’s not getting any calls back,” said Quirindongo-Baunsoe. “It’s very difficult. All she wants is to have a job.”
The judge questioned this, saying, “There are young people out there getting jobs.”
Bryant’s attorney said she believes the issue is that when Bryant submits applications, they run a background check on her, or just Google her name, and information about this case comes up.
The defense attorney claimed that with all her clients, the ones with pending cases have the hardest time finding employment.
“I can’t fathom an Arby’s is going to say no thank you,” the judge said in response.
Quirindongo-Baunsoe said, “It’s because they don’t know if somebody is going to become incarcerated.”
She claimed that’s been her experience for 20 years, and that Bryant looks for employment every day.