Three children were found living in “absolute squalor” in a Michigan home riddled with mold and human waste after their mother abandoned them and left them to live on their own without soap or toilet paper for at least four years, authorities said.
The 34-year-old mother, who has not been identified as she shares the same name with one of her children, was arrested Friday, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said.
Human waste, mold, and garbage piles towering up to four feet tall were found throughout the Pontiac rental home where the children survived on food their mother or a stranger dropped off each week.
The children, a 15-year-old boy, and two girls, ages 12 and 13, had been alone in the home without supervision since either 2020 or 2021, the boy told deputies, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies found the home in “deplorable shape” when responding to a welfare check requested by their landlord, who was concerned something happened because he had not heard from the mother since December and had not received a rent payment since October.
“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 sheriff’s office said. “Deputies checked the residence for occupants and found the boy and his sisters.”
While food was dropped off weekly, the children received no personal hygiene products or toilet paper. They were found wearing soiled clothing, their hair matted and with toenails so long it was difficult for them to walk, according to cops.
The children also seemed “unfamiliar with how to use personal hygiene items” and did not know how to flush a toilet, according to authorities.
They had also been out of school for years — instead spending their days watching television and playing games. Authorities said it also appeared as though the girls had not been outside in years.
The boy slept on a mattress on the floor while the two girls slept on pizza boxes — and authorities said the conditions inside were so poor an evidence technician had to don a HAZMAT suit to process the scene.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard described the children’s living conditions as “abuse of the highest order” and vowed their mother would face the consequences of her actions.
“This situation would be deemed deplorable and intolerable for an animal, and it is utterly unacceptable for your three young children,” Bouchard said.
While the mother had some contact with her teenage son, “the young girls have been deprived of any interaction with their mother,” Bouchard said.
“The far-reaching consequences of this abuse must be acknowledged,” he added.
Neighbors told deputies they didn’t know children lived in the home because they never saw them outside, but they did see the mother occasionally drop things off.
The children were taken to the hospital for evaluation and have since been placed in the custody of a relative.
Their mother was found in another location and arrested without incident. She said the children’s father was not involved in their lives.
After asking for clothing donations for the children on Monday, the sheriff’s office on Tuesday shared they were now only accepting donations for education supplies and further funds for their future well-being.
