A California mother has been found guilty of murder after her 2-year-old daughter drowned in a swimming pool while she was busy talking on the phone with men she had connected with on a dating app.
Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office confirmed this By Anne Brassart was convicted of second-degree murder and child neglect in the September 2025 death of her daughter Daniellé Pires.
Prosecutors said police officers responded to a home in Turlock, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2025, around 3:30 p.m., after receiving a report of an unresponsive child in a pool.
Upon their arrival, the officers found the girl in the pool and began to perform lifesaving measures on the minor until the paramedics were able to transfer her urgently to a hospital. However, the girl could not be saved and doctors later declared her brought dead.
Months later, a Pennsylvania woman has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the drowning death of her daughter, after investigators alleged she drank too much and fell asleep while watching the girl. In addition to involuntary manslaughter, Sadie Marie Ressler faces two counts of endangering the welfare of children, according to a criminal complaint seen (…)
Prosecutors said Brassart, 45, did not jump into the pool or try to rescue his daughter after calling 911. According to police, Brassart claimed he was unable to enter the water because of a leg injury that required him to use a wheelchair.
However, footage from inside the house showed that Brassart was able to stand and walk around the house without using a wheelchair. In addition, she was seen walking in a boot and on crutches.
While police were investigating the drowning, authorities noted that the defendant appeared to be intoxicated. Investigators found full and empty liquor bottles hidden throughout the house, while Brassart had a blood alcohol level of 0.246. The legal limit to drive is 0.08, making her extremely intoxicated at the time of the incident.
Police also noted that the girl’s father previously told Brassart that he was not allowed to drink alcohol while watching his daughter.
While Danielle was at the pool, Brassart was in the master bedroom of the house talking on the phone with men she met on dating apps. During a pretrial hearing, Brassart testified that he had asked his daughter to let the dogs out, according to the Turlock Journal. The girl followed the dogs into the backyard and remained unsupervised for about half an hour before entering the pool.
Surveillance cameras captured the girl struggling in the water before she eventually drowned.
“This was the outcome we hoped for and believed in,” said the assistant district attorney Sara Sousa said the Turlock Journal. “Not only did she fail in her duty to care for her child, but she did so in such a reckless and uncaring manner for human life that her conduct amounted to second-degree murder.”
Meanwhile, Brassart’s lawyer argued in court that the girl’s drowning was an “accident” and that his client believed his daughter was inside.
Police in Burlington, Vermont, are searching for a mother they believe was on drugs when her 3-month-old daughter fatally drowned in a bathtub. Briana Arnold, 34, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, cruelty to a child resulting in death and drug possession, according to warrants issued for her arrest. Chittenden (…)
However, the prosecution insisted that there was no excuse for leaving her daughter unattended. “This is a case where the defendant knew and didn’t care,” Sousa told jurors in closing arguments, according to the outlet. “He didn’t care that his daughter was at risk. He didn’t care that he wasn’t watching because all he wanted to do was be selfish and get drunk.”
Brassart was found guilty during a court hearing on Tuesday, January 6. His sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place on Thursday, February 5. Brassart will be sentenced to serve between 15 years and life in prison.