CLAY COUNTY—Prosecutors have criminally charged a Brazil mother after she allegedly placed her 1-year old foster daughter in a bathtub and left her unattended.
The toddler, Nova Bryant, died on June 16 at Riley Hospital for Children.
The coroner ruled Nova’s cause of death as drowning.
The girl’s foster mother, Hailynn Volpatti is charged with Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death, a level 1 felony.
Brazil Police were called to Volpatti’s home on May 21 after Volpatti found the toddler unresponsive in a water-filled bathtub.
Volpatti told responding officers that she placed Nova in the bathtub with her two biological sons, age 4, when she stepped out of the bathroom to get a drink.
When she returned, she found Nova floating in the bathwater on her back, with only a small portion of her nose above water, court documents allege.
In a later interview with police, Volpatti said she was not completely honest with officers who initially responded to the home.
Volpatti changed her story and said she had actually been on the phone with a friend the entire time the kids were in the bathtub, which was 1.5 hours from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., which was around the time she found Nova unresponsive in the bathtub, court documents allege.
She admitted she left all three children unsupervised in the waterfilled bathtub until she heard one of her sons yell out for her, according to court documents.
Hailynn and Tre Volpatti had been foster parents of Nova since October 2023, records show.
Tre Volpatti was working the night of the incident and was not charged.
Nova had multiple health problems including a chronic feeding disorder, a history of prematurity, short stature, and spinal asymmetry.
“Nova could pull herself up to a standing position, but could only stand unassisted for a short time,” read court documents. “She could only say a few words.”
Nova Bryant was placed on life support for several weeks before her death.
WRTV Investigates has contacted the Indiana Department of Child Services for comment.
WRTV Investigates is trying to get in touch with Volpatti for comment.
No attorney is listed for her, and her initial hearing is scheduled for October 25 at 9:30 am in Clay County.
At the turn of the calendar from 2023 to 2024, the Indiana Department of Child Services released its 2022 fatality report.
Throughout the 2022 calendar year, DCS investigated 308 child deaths. Of those deaths, 61 were found to be a result of abuse or neglect.
