Inset: Kelle Anne Brassart (Stanislaus County Jail). Background: The 4500 Fireside block in Turlock, California, where Brassart”s 2-year-old daughter drowned (Google Maps).
In a tragic incident from California, a woman found herself at the center of a heartbreaking case where her 2-year-old daughter lost her life in a swimming pool while the mother was engrossed in a lengthy phone conversation with men she had met on dating apps. The incident has sparked outrage and led to legal consequences for the mother involved.
Kelle Anne Brassart, a 45-year-old mother to six children, was recently convicted of second-degree murder and child neglect following the death of her daughter, Daniellé Pires, last September. The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office has detailed the events leading up to this devastating loss. Authorities in Turlock, located approximately 85 miles south of Sacramento, responded to an emergency call on September 12th at around 3:30 p.m. The call reported an unresponsive child found in a swimming pool at a residence on the 4500 block of Fireside Drive.
Upon arrival, police officers discovered the young girl in the pool and immediately initiated lifesaving efforts. Despite their quick response, the child was later pronounced dead at the hospital, marking a somber end to the desperate attempts to save her.
Prosecutors revealed startling details about Brassart’s actions during the emergency. Despite dialing 911, she made no attempt to rescue her daughter from the pool. Brassart claimed a leg injury, which she said necessitated the use of a wheelchair, prevented her from intervening. However, video footage from within the home contradicted her claims, showing Brassart moving around without the need for a wheelchair, and she was also seen using a walking boot and crutches.
The investigation further exposed a troubling aspect of Brassart’s lifestyle. She was reportedly able to drive and even attended nail appointments, casting doubt on her claims of immobility. During the police investigation, Brassart appeared intoxicated, and authorities discovered numerous bottles of alcohol, both full and empty, hidden throughout the home. Her blood alcohol content level was determined to be .246, far exceeding the legal driving limit of .08. Moreover, it was revealed that Daniellé’s father had expressly forbidden Brassart from consuming alcohol while caring for their daughter.
As cops were investigating the drowning, the defendant appeared to be intoxicated. Investigators found full and empty bottles of liquor hidden throughout the home. She had a blood alcohol content level of .246 — the legal limit to drive is .08. Daniellé’s father had told Brassart that she was not allowed to drink booze while watching the girl.
Instead of supervising the girl, Brassart was in the master bedroom chatting with men she met on dating apps. According to a courtroom report from the Turlock Journal, Brassart testified at a pretrial hearing that she had asked her daughter to let the dogs outside. Daniellé followed the dogs into the backyard and was unsupervised for half an hour before she hopped into the pool.
The girl was seen on video struggling in the water before she drowned. She was one week shy of her third birthday.
“This was the result we were hoping for and believed in,” Deputy District Attorney Sara Sousa told the Journal. “She not only failed in her duty to care for her child, but she did it in a way that was so reckless and indifferent to human life that her conduct amounted to that of second-degree murder.”
Brassart’s attorney said the incident was an “accident” and she thought the child was inside. But prosecutors said there was no excuse for her behavior.
“This is a case where the defendant knew, and she didn’t care,” Sousa reportedly told jurors in closing arguments. “She didn’t care that her daughter was at risk. She didn’t care that she wasn’t watching her because all she wanted to do was be selfish and get drunk.”
It wasn’t the first time Brassart was accused of neglecting her kids. One of her other children spent nearly a week in the hospital after ingesting medication, prosecutors said. As a result, Brassart took a parenting class about the dangers of leaving young kids unsupervised.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 5. She faces between 15 years and life in prison.
