Mom accused of leaving kids in ‘absolute squalor’ for years, police say

A Michigan mom was arrested for leaving her three young children to fend for themselves in “absolute squalor” and with little interaction with the outside world over the course of several years.

“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,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement announcing the arrest of a 34-year-old woman he declined to name.

The mother of the abandoned 15-year-old boy and two girls, ages 12 and 13, rarely tended to her children other than weekly food deliveries left on the siblings’ front porch, according to police. Authorities believe the neglect may have been ongoing since the spring of 2020.

Police said the mom had some contact with her son, who slept on a mattress inside the home. The girls, who are believed to have had no recent engagement with their mother, slept on pizza boxes. All three children were taken to a hospital for evaluation. Neighbors told investigators they never saw the kids outdoors.

The house’s landlord reportedly tipped police to the situation last week after not hearing from his tenant since December. She last paid rent in October, according to police.

When authorities visited the home, they found garbage piles standing 4 feet high, an overflowing toilet and a bathtub filled with feces. Evidence was gathered by an official wearing a HAZMAT suit.

Photos posted online by the sheriff’s office appear to support law enforcement’s case against the suspect.

Police said Tuesday that thanks to donations from the community, the victims are now properly clothed as opposed to when they were located.

“They were wearing soiled clothing, their hair was matted, and their toenails were several inches long making it difficult to walk,” the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. “It appeared the children were unfamiliar with how to use personal hygiene items or knew how to flush a toilet.”

Cops said they located the children’s mother at a different location, where she was arrested without incident Friday. She said the kids’ dad wasn’t involved in their lives. Sheriff Bouchard told reporters Tuesday the father was incarcerated for part of the time his children were alone and attempted to be reunited with them through the courts in 2022.

Bouchard said his office looked forward to bringing their findings to prosecutors to make sure the victims’ mother is held accountable for her alleged crimes.