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(NewsNation) — Three siblings were found abandoned in a Michigan home where rooms were filled with garbage and human waste. They’d been there for several years.
The children — ages 12, 13 and 15 — struggled to walk once rescued. They were all wearing soiled clothing and had toenails several inches long. They were abandoned by their mother and left to live in the home in 2020 or 2021, USA Today reported.
They lived off food that was dropped off weekly by their mother or a stranger, according to the sheriff’s office. The rent had been paid until October 2024, causing the landlord to call the sheriff’s office for a welfare check.
The 34-year-old woman accused of abandoning her children was arrested and is being held at the Oakland County Jail in Pontiac, Michigan. Her identity has not yet been released.
Siblings now living with relatives who were ‘unaware of what was going on’
Oakland County Michigan Sheriff Michael Bouchard told NewsNation’s “Banfield” the children were immediately taken out of the home once they found them. They took them to get medical attention and then involved Child Protective Services.
Now, they have been temporarily placed with relatives who were “unaware of what was going on.” Sheriff Bouchard told NewsNation that they have scheduled mental health evaluations for the children.
“Thankfully, they’re responding very well,” Bouchard said.
Bouchard told NewsNation that the two girls were hiding in a locked bathroom when police found them. “It’s horrendous. It’s really difficult to wrap your head around this case,” Bouchard said. “I’ve been in this business a very long time, but this is a terrible one that was magnified by how long it went on, a period of years.”
Bouchard said his department and the community are doing everything they can to set the children up for a better life. Community members have been bringing donations for the children to the sheriff’s office.