A 45-year-old woman from Northern California is facing 15 years to life in prison after she was convicted of in the drowning death of her 2-year-old daughter, authorities announced late last week.
The incident occurred on Sept. 12 around 3:30 p.m. at a home in the 4500 block of Fireside Drive in Turlock, a city about 15 miles from Modesto, according to a news release from the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.
Officers with the Turlock Police Department responded to the home after Kelle Anne Brassart called 911 to report that her daughter, Danielle Pires, was floating in the pool.
At the residence, officers pulled the child’s “lifeless body” out of the water. Despite administering life-saving measures, the toddler was declared deceased.
Upon contact with Brassart, officers observed that she was displaying signs of impairment,” prosecutors said. “Detectives immediately began an investigation into the death.”
Investigators discovered empty and full bottles of liquor hidden throughout the home and learned that the girl’s father told Brassart that she couldn’t drink while caring for their daughter, who needed to be supervised at all times.
A 45-year-old woman who was drunk at the time her unsupervised daughter, 2, drown in a backyard swimming pool in Northern California was found guilty of second-degree murder, prosecutors announced on Jan. 9, 2026. (Google Maps)
Home security cameras captured Danielle’s death and showed the little unattended in the backyard for an extended period before getting into the pool and drowning.
During that time, investigators said Brassart, who had a blood alcohol level of .246%, was in the home’s primary bedroom for 45 minutes communicating with men that she had met on dating apps.
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The 45-year-old mother also never attempted to get into the pool and save her daughter, telling police that a recent leg injury left her confined to a wheelchair. During her trial, though, the jury was presented with video evidence of her “walking and standing without the use of a wheelchair prior to the drowning.”
Prosecutors also said she had crutches and a “walking boot” in the home.
“Further, evidence was introduced that Brassart had been advised in parenting classes about the dangers of leaving a child unsupervised as toddlers are incapable of appreciating risk,” the release stated. “The jury also heard evidence regarding an incident involving one of her other children where they were left unsupervised by Brassart, resulting in the child being hospitalized for nearly one week after ingesting medication.”
Brassart was convicted of second-degree murder and felony child neglect, along with the special allegation that she was also on probation for child abuse at the time of the death.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 5.
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