A tragic incident unfolded in California when a mother, engrossed in a 45-minute phone conversation with men she met on dating platforms, failed to notice her 2-year-old daughter drowning in a swimming pool.

Kelle Anne Brassart, 45, who is a mother to six children, was found guilty of second-degree murder and child neglect following the September demise of her daughter, Daniellé Pires. This was confirmed by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities in Turlock, situated around 85 miles from Sacramento, arrived at a residence on the 4500 block of Fireside Drive at approximately 3:30 p.m. on September 12, following a distress call about a child found unresponsive in a pool.

Upon arrival, officers discovered the little girl in the water and performed emergency procedures until paramedics transported her to a hospital, where she was sadly declared dead.

Prosecutors revealed that Brassart, who dialed 911, made no effort to enter the pool to save her child. She cited a leg injury that necessitated a wheelchair as her reason for not assisting, though home surveillance footage contradicted her claim, showing her walking without aid. Furthermore, she possessed a walking boot and crutches.

Additionally, evidence indicated that Brassart was capable of driving and attending personal appointments, such as nail treatments.

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.