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A Michigan mother was arrested on Friday for allegedly abandoning her
children for several years, leaving them in deplorable conditions,
according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Department.
The 34-year-old woman from Pontiac, Michigan, deserted her three children,
a 15-year-old boy and two daughters ages 12 and 13, for approximately four
to five years, "leaving them to live alone in absolute squalor," officials said.
"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 J. Bouchard said in a statement.
The children were discovered on Friday afternoon, when deputies received a
call from a landlord to perform a welfare check at a house in the 600
block of Lydia Lane. The landlord was concerned about the residents, since
he had not heard from the mother since December and had not received rent
since October.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they found the three children in the
home alone living in horrific conditions. In some rooms of the house,
garbage was piled as high as four feet, along with mold and human feces
found throughout the residence. The bathtub and toilets were overflowing
with human excrement, and authorities said the mother did not leave any
toilet paper or personal hygiene products.
"It appeared that the children were unfamiliar with how to use personal
hygiene items or know how to flush a toilet," the sheriff's department
said.
The boy told authorities that he and his two sisters had been living alone since 2020 or 2021, and that the three of them survived on prepared food
their mother or a stranger would deliver once a week. He told authorities
he had been in contact with his mother, but it appeared "she had not seen
the girls in years."
"It kind of reminds me of the commercials you see where animals are living
in very deplorable conditions," Bouchard told ABC News. "Take that times
10, and that's what the kids were living in for years."
The children had not attended school since their abandonment, passing time
by watching television and playing games. When discovered, the children
were wearing soiled clothing, had matted hair and toenails several inches
long � making it challenging to walk. The boy slept on a mattress while
the two girls slept on pizza boxes, officials said.
The woman was found at another location and arrested without incident, officials said. She told authorities the father of the children was not involved in their lives.
Neighbors were not aware of the children's living conditions and told authorities they only saw the mother dropping things off at the house.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-allegedly-abandons-children-years- deplorable-conditions-authorities/story?id=118891678
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