Mother allegedly abandons children for years in 'deplorable' conditions: Authorities

[diehardblue]

Source: ABC news

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.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-allegedly-abandons-children-years-deplorable-conditions-authorities/story?id=118891678

[Ocelot II]

1. Bad link - goes to the post page for LBN.

[More_Cowbell]

2. Try this

https://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-allegedly-abandons-children-years-deplorable-conditions-authorities/story?id=118891678

[Ocelot II]

7. Thanks!

[diehardblue]

3. Thanks!

[Diamond_Dog]

5. Try this

https://www.wkbn.com/news/national-world/mother-arrested-after-leaving-3-children-to-live-alone-for-years/

I am appalled and sickened and heartbroken for these kids. They are all going to need years and years of therapy.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. Your link

Goes to a *start a new thread* post.

[flvegan]

6. What kind of landlord doesn't check

his/her/their property for "several years" like this?

What a horrific story all around. I can only hope those kids can enjoy a normal life at some point.

[Johnny2X2X]

8. And people were dropping off food to the kids

People who weren't her mother, who drops off food, but doesn't call the police? This was an open secret for years.

[JoseBalow]

9. You've never been to Pontiac

The landlord probably couldn't care less.

[chowder66]

10. The Landlord stopped getting rent checks in October and hadn't seen her. He called for a welfare check.

They think the mother or a stranger were dropping off the food once a week.

[JoseBalow]

11. That's how you get a slumlord's attention

stop paying rent

[OldBaldy1701E]

12. And remember, gays are not allowed to adopt in that state.

Because they are considered 'dangerous' to the poor defenseless kiddies.

[Polybius]

13. In Michigan?

Wow, that's surprising.

[OldBaldy1701E]

14. To be honest, I may be getting ahead of myself.

But, I do know that in most states there may not be a legal reason to deny a gay couple or person the ability to adopt, but most will come up with any reason they can to stop from happening.

But, this 'normal' parent can just ignore her own children for years and no one says anything? NO ONE?

Yeah, nothing to see here, eh?

(Let me check and see if I am correct about Michigan and adoption.. I am the first to admit when I am not.)

[OldBaldy1701E]

15. The state sites say there is no 'restriction'.

And, in 2019...

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/03/michigan-bans-discrimination-gay-couples-adoption-agencies/

However, by 2022...

https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-lifestyle-religion-michigan-adoption-a6a972a8d51bed360f163cb9e85d0a14

https://www.vice.com/en/article/we-were-rejected-from-adopting-foster-children-because-we-are-gay/

So, yeah. They fight to keep good people from adopting solely because of their religious delusions and let stuff like what was reported go on for years and do nothing but say it is a 'traditional household' and therefore it is okay.

Disgusting.

[obamanut2012]

19. That isn't true at all

[LoisB]

16. Good Lord! Where were the school authorities? Do the children have cognitive issues that

they don't know how to flush a toilet? Didn't neighbors smell anything? Didn't any relatives wonder about the children?

They need to name this witch, blast her picture then put her under the prison for the rest of her miserable life.

[cab67]

20. They shouldn't name the witch in this particular case.

Ordinarily, I'd agree - but in this case, she and one of her daughters share the same name. That's an extra complication. Naming the mother would, in effect, compromise the anonymity of the daughter.

I'm almost as infuriated at the kids' extended family as I am at the mother - their cousins/nephews/nieces disappear for 4 years, and no one bothers to reach out?

[LoisB]

22. I saw the name issue - I was just enraged when I typed that. I agree about the extended

family. No one cared?

[Stargazer99]

23. It is because we've been trained as the public to not give a damn about each other the conservative value system

like animals in he forest eat each other. Who was it that said greed is good? Oh yah saint Raygun ....apparently he never read the Good Book like a lot of Republicans

[LoisB]

26. Sadly, I have to agree with you.

[colorado_ufo]

17. Think about the ages when she abandoned them:

Probably 10, 8 and 7 years old. They knew nothing and were probably vastly neglected BEFORE she abandoned them.

[RazorbackExpat]

18. My kids always knew they had a safe shelter at home

I can't understand why any parent would abandon their kids like that

[cab67]

21. These children are going to be dealing with this for the rest of their lives.

If they don't know how to flush a toilet, they were most likely neglected for far longer than the four or five years estimated here. Maybe not to the same extent - they may have attended school for a time, and they might not have been shut in, but their development as human beings has been compromised.

I'd be willing to bet their reading and writing skills are rudimentary. They haven't been building relationships with other kids, and they may not have gotten any discipline - and by that, I'm not referring to the neglect. I'm referring to the kind of structure where expectations are laid, a routine is followed, and there are specific consequences for specific actions.

Kids under such circumstances often have real problems dealing with rules, and they may be prone to violent outbursts - not because they're mean and ill-willed, but because they don't know any better. They may express the paradox of a big, generous heart and a mean temper.

They're going to need a LOT of help. Placing them with family members is good, I suppose, but I highly doubt anyone not trained to work with traumatized youth will be able to help beyond the basics of food, clothing, and shelter.

If these children are lucky enough to encounter social workers with the right combination of training, dedication, patience, and heart, they'll improve. But it's going to be a long road for them.

[iemanja]

24. Where is the father?

Doesn't he bear responsibility too?

[cab67]

27. he might if they can find him.

[cab67]

29. see update below

He was prevented from seeing the kids.

[iemanja]

30. Thanks

The mother didn't want them, but she denied the father access to them. SMH.

[LudwigPastorius]

25. It's really hard to be against capital punishment sometimes.

[cab67]

28. UPDATE about the childrens' father -

He was apparently incarcerated for a time, but when he was released, he tried to regain contact with his children. A consent agreement was established that allowed visitation, but the mother refused to comply.

I now feel a lot less rage toward the father in this case. He was deliberately excluded from his kids' lives by their mother.