Three kids abandoned in a home in Michigan have been discovered living in squalor. The children, who are all young teens, have been living on their own for over three years. When police finally discovered the children, they were shocked by the conditions they found them in.
Police don’t know why the kids were abandoned. But the more you hear about it, the more horrific it becomes. No word yet on what kind of charges the children’s parents could face.
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On February 16, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office shared a press release on social media stating that it had arrested a 34-year-old mother of three. Due to the children being 15, 13, and 12, the mother’s name wasn’t released. The children were found living in uninhabitable conditions in their Pontiac rental.
“Throughout my extensive career in this field, I have never encountered a scenario as dire and prolonged as this one, involving abandonment, neglect, and abuse of the highest order,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in the press release.
“This situation would be deemed deplorable and intolerable for an animal, and it is utterly unacceptable for your three children.”
According to the news release, authorities were called to the home by the landlord, who claimed he hadn’t heard from the children’s mother since December. He was concerned because rent hadn’t been paid since October.
When deputies arrived, they found the home in “deplorable shape,” and the kids abandoned: a boy, 15, and girls aged 13 and 12. According to authorities, the girls were hiding in the bathroom, but came out when asked.
The boy told the police their mother left them in either 2020 or 2021. While he had interactions with his mother, she hadn’t interacted with his sisters since she left. The mother or a stranger would leave prepared food on the front porch weekly for the kids to survive on. However, she did not leave personal hygiene products or toilet paper.
Inside, authorities described a horrific scene. “Garbage was piled as high as four feet in some rooms, mold and human waste was found throughout, with the toilet overflowing and feces in the bathtub,” the press release said.
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The boy told authorities that he was sleeping on a mattress, but his sisters slept on pizza boxes. The children haven’t been to school since 2020, and keep themselves occupied by playing games and watching television. The press release noted the kids were found wearing soiled clothes, had matted hair, and their toenails were so long they had trouble walking. They were taken to the hospital to be evaluated.
A neighbor, Emma Gross, spoke with WXYZ-TV Detroit, saying “Everybody’s upset about this … this is right in our neighborhood, how could something like this happen?”
For now, the children have been placed in the custody of a relative by Child Protective Services, NBC News reported. The sheriff’s department has been taking donations for the children, it stated in a Facebook post.
As for the mother, the sheriff’s department made clear they weren’t going easy on her. “The far-reaching consequences of this abuse must be acknowledged. We look forward to presenting this case to the prosecutor and ensuring that she faces the consequences of her actions,” the initial statement read.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
