On a grim Tuesday night in Pontiac, what began as a routine investigation quickly unraveled into a heartbreaking revelation of neglect and abandonment. Three cats prowled through an apartment thick with trash, spoiled food, and the stench of human and animal waste, embodying the chaos that had overtaken the home.
The apartment on South Francis Street, once a place of safety, had become a dismal refuge for three young children living in squalor with no adult supervision, no functioning water or sanitation, and conditions that defied basic human decency.
The call to 911 had come from a 12-year-old girl who, despite her young age, was left in charge of her two younger siblings—both 9-year-olds. Her voice was trembling as she explained the dire circumstances, her plea echoing through the emergency dispatch center. When deputies arrived, they expected to find a break-in or perhaps some other disturbance. Instead, they encountered a scene of neglect so profound that it left even seasoned officers stunned. The apartment was in disarray, with layers of trash and debris covering the floors, spoiled food rotting in open containers, and the air thick with filth. The children, visibly malnourished and visibly frightened, appeared to have been living in these conditions for far longer than the single day suggested by the vague answers they provided about their mother’s whereabouts.
When questioned about their mother, Teriomas Tremice Johnson, 31, the children gave vague responses. She had not been home “since yesterday,” they said. But the state of the apartment—cluttered, dirty, and abandoned in all but name—indicated that the neglect had likely persisted for weeks, if not months. The children’s welfare had seemingly been overlooked, their basic needs ignored, all while they were left to fend for themselves in a hazardous environment.
Hours later, authorities located Johnson in Ann Arbor. Her behavior during a Zoom bond hearing only deepened concerns about her mental state and the seriousness of the neglect. She threw a chair and shouted at the magistrate, acts that impressed upon the judge the danger she posed to her children and the community. As a result, the judge denied her bond entirely and ordered her to remain jailed until her probable-cause hearing scheduled for November 25.
The children were placed with their biological fathers, who now face the grim reality of taking care of children who had been living in such deplorable conditions. School records show that the oldest child, the girl who called 911, had barely been attending classes, highlighting how neglect extended beyond the home and into their education and daily routines. It was only her desperate call that finally prompted authorities to intervene and remove the children from a life-threatening situation.
Now, social workers and investigators are probing whether the neglect was a one-time failure or a pattern of abandonment. They are examining whether teachers, neighbors, or social service agencies missed warning signs that could have prevented this ordeal. Did anyone notice the children’s malnourishment or the filth and refuse to act? Was Johnson leaving her children alone before, or was this an isolated incident? These questions are central to understanding how such neglect could occur undetected for so long.
The case of the three children on South Francis Street is a stark reminder of the importance of community vigilance and the critical role of social systems. It underscores the devastating consequences when neglect goes unnoticed and unaddressed, and it highlights the urgent need for early intervention to protect vulnerable children from harm.
