Turlock mother pleads not guilty in toddler’s drowning. Judge sets bail
A Turlock mother accused of murder in the drowning death of her 2-year-old daughter pleaded not guilty Tuesday as a Stanislaus County judge set bail at $2 million, rejecting prosecutors’ request to hold her without bail.
Kelle Anne Brassart, 44, appeared in Stanislaus County Superior Court wearing an orange-and-white jail jumpsuit in handcuffs. She was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair by a bailiff and remained mostly quiet during the brief hearing. As deputies escorted her out, Brassart turned toward relatives of her daughter and said, “Get the [expletive] out,” drawing murmurs from the gallery.
Deputy District Attorney Sara Sousa urged Judge Kellee Westbrook to order no bail, citing what she called “an egregious” pattern of neglect and a prior child-abuse conviction. “We felt strongly that there should be a case of no bail,” Sousa said to The Bee. “However, $2 million is a significant amount, and we recognize and understand the court’s position. We are disappointed that we did not get no bail.”
According to Sousa, home-security video shows Brassart’s daughter walking alone around the backyard pool at 2:59 p.m. Sept. 12, playing with the family dog. At 3:08 p.m. the toddler entered the pool and tried to climb out. By 3:18 p.m. she had stopped moving. Brassart called 911 at 3:28 p.m., after first phoning the child’s father, Sousa said.
Turlock police officers arrived within minutes and pulled the child from the water, but she could not be revived. An autopsy determined the cause of death was drowning and hypothermia.
Officers reported that Brassart appeared impaired. Preliminary alcohol screening about three hours after the incident measured a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%. A California Highway Patrol drug-recognition expert concluded she was under the influence of alcohol and a central-nervous-system stimulant, Sousa said.
Investigators also reported prescription medications in the home and said Brassart was able to move around without assistance despite her claim that a wheelchair kept her from rescuing her child.
Brassart is on misdemeanor probation for a 2023 child-abuse conviction for striking her then-8-year-old son with a mini-blind rod, according to court records. Prosecutors said she has a history of probation violations, prior CPS investigations and an incident in which she allegedly threw a metal tumbler while intoxicated near her now-deceased daughter when she was an infant being held by her father.
What’s next
Judge Westbrook scheduled an early case-management conference for Sept. 22 and a preliminary hearing for Sept. 30, both at 8:30 a.m. at Stanislaus County Superior Court.
If convicted of murder, Brassart faces 15 years to life in state prison. Her public defender could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
This story was originally published September 16, 2025 at 4:41 PM.
