Tragic Pattern: Mother with Disturbing Past Charged After Epileptic Child’s Death in Neglect Case

In Wisconsin, a 27-year-old mother is facing serious charges after allegedly leaving her vulnerable 5-year-old daughter alone in a bathtub filled with urine, an act authorities claim resulted in the child’s untimely death.

Katelyn M. Nardi has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide and child neglect leading to death, following the tragic passing of her daughter, Oakley Taylor Nardi, according to court documents.

The incident took place on October 22, 2025. Oakley, who suffered from epilepsy, informed her mother that she felt unwell and requested a bath, as reported by WSAU, a news station in Wausau, Wisconsin. Nardi allegedly started the bath for her daughter but then left the bathroom for about five minutes to gather pajamas and prepare Oakley’s bedroom. Upon her return, she found her daughter unresponsive in the bathtub.

During a preliminary hearing on Monday, prosecutors highlighted that this was not the first tragedy involving Nardi’s children, pointing out that her 5-month-old daughter had also died in 2023.

Prosecutors argued that the incident was not merely a brief lapse in judgment, as emphasized during the court proceedings, with footage shared by WSAW, a CBS affiliate in Wausau, providing further insight into the case.

“The facts of this case are of such a nature as to demonstrate utter disregard for a child’s life,” Lincoln County Assistant District Attorney Jacob Collinsworth said during Monday’s bond hearing. “This was not simply leaving a child alone in the bathtub, but leaving her epileptic child unattended in a urine-filled, dirty bathtub.”

Collinsworth also reportedly brought up the death of Nardi’s 5-month-old daughter, who died in her sleep in February 2023, per the child’s obituary.

Defense attorney Christopher Restemayer pushed back on the state’s characterization of the case.

“That is an unbelievably tragic, but I don’t read an utter disregard for human life into this,” Restemayer said. “I believe that’s a stretch. For the purposes of bond, the strength of the state’s case can be considered.”

Restemayer argued for a lower cash bond, while prosecutors countered that Nardi posed a risk to the community and could flee. Collinsworth told the court that Nardi had indicated in jail phone calls she could post bond if it were set at $15,000 or less.

The judge ultimately sided with the state, citing the allegations in the complaint, the prior child death, and Nardi’s decision to initially contact social services instead of emergency responders.

Court documents further allege that Oakley was particularly vulnerable because Nardi and her fiance failed to administer the child’s epilepsy medication as prescribed, WSAW reported. Medical professionals reportedly also warned the couple multiple times that leaving Oakley unattended in the bathtub could prove fatal.

The fiance has not been charged.

Nardi is currently being held in the Lincoln County Jail on a $150,000 cash bond. Should she be released, Nardi is prohibited from contacting any minor child or leaving the state of Wisconsin. She is scheduled to return to court March 31.