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PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) – The Oakland County Prosecutor will discuss her charging decision against a Pontiac mom who left three kids alone in a home full of trash and feces for over four years.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald will speak at 2 p.m. on Wednesday where she will announce her decision on charges against the mother of the three children.
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The case against the 34-year-old mother, who is not being named to protect the identity of her three children, was given to the prosecutor’s office on Monday for review. McDonald announced on Wednesday that she would speak about the charges at 2 p.m. from the prosecutor’s office in Pontiac.
What we know:
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Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard spoke on Tuesday and said the three kids lived alone since late spring or early summer of 2020 – the height of the COVID pandemic.
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In nearly five years of living alone, Bouchard said the now 15-year-old boy was the only one of the three children to leave the home, which he did twice.
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“Once because he wanted to feel the grass, which by itself is heartbreaking, and once because he wanted to check the mail,” Bouchard said.
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The sheriff said the children’s father was in jail around the time that their mother abandoned them. Upon release, he was granted approval to visit his kids, but their mother never allowed him access.
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Bouchard said gaps in school enrollment allowed the children to slip through the cracks – likely exacerbated by the pandemic.
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“Right now, there is no specific duty required that is triggered by certain actions,” Bouchard said. “The school district in this case received request of records from another school in Pontiac but there was no verification that the children ever moved to that school.”
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He said nobody knew that the children weren’t in the school. Bouchard said they’re working with state lawmakers to get a bill introduced to fix such a gap.
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“There’s gotta be some accountability to make sure tha kids don’t fall through the cracks in some way,” he said.
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The three children were found living alone last Friday and surrounded by garbage and feces. The oldest, a 15-year-old boy, lived with his two sisters, ages 13 and 12. They survived off of food that was dropped off once a week by either their mother or a stranger.
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Bouchard clarified on Tuesday that the stranger was from a food delivery service, like DoorDash, and their mother’s last drop off of hygiene-related items was in 2020.
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“(Their) mother dropped off some trash bags, gloves, and Febreze and that was the last thing related to hygiene,” he said.
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At one point, the children were sharing a loaf of bread as their only form of sustenance.
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“Towards the end, the children were getting a loaf of bread that was getting dropped off and that was to last 3 or 4 days,” he said.
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Big picture view:
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After news of the kids’ story broke, the sheriff said the department was overwhelmed by the support from the community and said they did not need any more donations. Bouchard added the department hoped to find a law firm to set up a trust fund for the kids to pay for health and education bills.
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He shared photos of the donations – which filled rooms and tables, which he said was just a small amount of the donations they received.
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“We have one of the most generous communities, I think, in the world,” Bouchard said.
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A more detailed appointment looking at their physical and mental health will be done in the near future, but told media Tuesday all three were doing well.
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“Having had some tender love, having had some supportive care, having been put in new clothing and some basic hygiene – the one detective said that the little girl was talking quite a bit, so that’s super exciting,” said Bouchard.
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What we don’t know:
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The mystery behind the mother’s reason for abandoning her kids remains.
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Police plan to further investigate and have more questions for her, but said she was answering questions and her background did not indicate any mental health challenges.
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The Source: FOX 2 was in attendance for Sheriff Michael Bouchard’s press conference on Tuesday. We also received information from the prosecutor’s office about the press conference on Wednesday.
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