Pontiac mom accused of abandoning children has communication suspended after violation

PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her three children to live in squalor is now accused of violating a court order to communicate with their caretaker.

What they're saying:

Prosecutors say 34-year-old Kelli Bryant made phone calls from jail and had other inmates reach out to the caretaker as well, despite the judge's order for no contact.

On Tuesday, the judge revoked her jail communication privileges.

The order from Judge Cynthia Thomas Walker stated that Bryant was not to have any contact with her children or the caretaker in charge of them, in order to protect the judicial process and the alleged victims. She is accused of calling the caretaker at least 10 times and even having other inmates make calls.

"These victims have been going through trauma and have had been going through trauma for years. It only benefits everyone involved to have separation, which is why this court put in place the no-contact order," said Assistant Prosecutor Kanika Ferency.

Meanwhile, Bryant’s attorney said the order was not clear.

"Ms. Bryant was under the impression that she wasn’t allowed to talk about the children or ask about how they were doing, and she didn’t do any of that, your honor," said attorney Cicilia Quirindongo-Baunsoe. 

By the numbers:

The recordings were not played in court, but the defense said 95% of the calls were regarding Bryant’s bond, and the other 5% were about some type of appointment. Regardless of the content of the calls, Judge Walker banned Bryant’s jail communication, use of a tablet, and phone for a week.

If there is another violation, Walker says she will call another emergency hearing.

Bryant's current bond is $50,000 cash with no surety.

The backstory:

After Bryant's three children, ages 15, 13, and 12, were found living alone in a Pontiac home filled with trash and feces, she was arrested, while the children were placed with a family member. 

McDonald said Bryant called the person taking care of her three children 10 times over a four-day period. She also allegedly had other inmates call the caregiver on their behalf as she attempted to discuss the children and her criminal case. 

Bryant is court-ordered not to have contact with the children or their caregiver.

"They have a right, just like all victims have under the Crime Victims Rights Act, to be free of any influence or further trauma," McDonald said.

If Bryant's communication privileges are revoked, she would no longer have access to phones or tablets in the jail, and would be unable to call or video chat with anyone.

Dig deeper:

Bryant, 34, was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse last month after her children were abandoned in a Pontiac condo four or five years ago. Bryant lived at another home and would occasionally drop food off at the home, authorities said.

The children were found on Feb. 14 after the condo's landlord requested a welfare check. According to authorities, the landlord hadn't heard from Bryant since December, and rent hadn't been paid.

WARNING: The details of this story are disturbing.

Deputies arrived and found the home full of garbage – piled as high as four feet in some rooms. The rooms were also covered in mold and human waste. The toilet was overflowing, and the bathtub was full of feces.

The children survived on food that was dropped off on the front porch each week by either their mother or a stranger.

But they had no access to toilet paper or personal hygiene items. The sheriff said they were unfamiliar with personal hygiene and didn't even know how to flush a toilet.

They had also not attended school since she left them and instead passed time by watching TV or playing games. The sheriff said the girls had not been outside in several years.

The boy slept on a mattress on the floor, but the two girls slept on pizza boxes.

According to deputies, neighbors were unaware that children lived in the home and had never seen them. They said they saw their mother at the home each month.

The kids were all wearing soiled clothing with matted hair and toenails so long that it was difficult to walk.