LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Oakland County Sheriff’s Office (Office) deputies arrested a 34-year-old Pontiac mother on Friday after she abandoned her three children for years, leaving them in horrendous living conditions.

The Office reports that the mother, who is not being identified because she shares the same name as one of the children, is being held in the Oakland County Jail.

“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,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

Deputies responded to the 600 block of Lydia Lane in Pontiac for a welfare check Friday afternoon.

The home’s landlord had contacted the authorities after believing something may have happened to the mother. The landlord hadn’t heard from her since Dec. and the rent was last paid in Oct.

Deputies arrived to find the home in “deplorable shape”. “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,” said the Office when describing the home in a news release sent to 6 News.

6 News has reviewed images of the home and they match the description given by the Office.

Deputies found a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl inside the home. The boy told deputies he and his sisters were abandoned in 2020 or 2021, left to live alone.

The children survived on food prepared by either their mother or a stranger. This food would be left on the porch each week. The mother did not provide hygiene products.

The Office says the mother is believed to have contacted the boy, however, it appears that she hadn’t seen the girls in years.

The children had not attended school since their abandonment. “It appeared the girls had not been outside the home for several years,” said the Office in a news release sent to 6 News.

The Office says neighbors told deputies they were unaware the children lived in the home and never saw them.

The children were taken to the hospital for evaluation. “They were wearing soiled clothing, their hair was matted, and their toenails were several inches long, making it difficult to walk. It appeared the children were unfamiliar with how to use personal hygiene items or knew how to flush a toilet,” said the Office in a news release sent to 6 News.

The children have been placed in the custody of a relative by Child Protective Services.

The mother was found at another location and arrested without incident.

The scene was processed by an evidence technician wearing a HAZMAT suit.