“Another problem is the increase in cases where the partner of the child’s parent abuses and neglects the child. Usually, children are victims of abuse by their mother’s partner, and the mother becomes a colluder, because she does not protect the child. This often leads to severe abuse and even murder.

A 34-year-old Pontiac mother accused of child abuse and abandoning her three children was arraigned Thursday morning on three counts of first-degree child abuse.

A Michigan mother who allegedly abandoned her three children and forced them to live in squalor alone for four years is being detained on a $250 million cash bond — a massive amount more commonly seen in cases involving high profile or wealthy defendants.

The Pontiac, Michigan, mother who is accused of abandoning her three children to live in squalor for years was charged Wednesday with felony child abuse.

Judge Ronda Fowlkes Gross of Pontiac's 50th District Court set Kelli Bryant's bond at $250 million and ordered her to have no contact with her kids.