An Indiana mother, aged 25, has been taken into custody five months following an incident where she reportedly left her 21-month-old foster child, who has special needs, alone in a bathtub, resulting in the child’s drowning.
Hailynn Volpatti was arrested last week and faces a charge of felony neglect of a dependent leading to death in connection with the drowning of young Nova Bryant in May 2024, according to records.
On May 21, 2024, the incident occurred while the victim was under the exclusive care of Volpatti, as detailed in a probable cause affidavit. At the time, Volpatti’s husband was said to be at his workplace.
On the evening of May 21, law enforcement officials from the Brazil, Indiana, Police Department arrived at Volpatti’s residence located in an apartment complex on the 400 block of Franklin Court, approximately 70 miles west of Indianapolis. Upon reaching the location, emergency personnel swiftly initiated lifesaving efforts for Nova and successfully detected a “faint pulse” in the girl.
Paramedics rushed Nova to the hospital for urgent care. Given the critical nature of her situation, Nova was moved to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis for advanced care. Tragically, the child lost her battle with the illness and was declared deceased on June 16, 2024.
During a police interview, Volpatti reportedly stated that she placed Nova in the bathtub with her two 4-year-old sons while she stepped away to grab a drink, according to the affidavit. Volpatti reportedly stated that upon her return to the bathroom, Nova was unresponsive and floating on her back in the water.
According to reports, Volpatti stated that during bath time, the toddler, Nova, consistently submerges her face in the water and takes a significant mouthful of it, as noted by the police.
Nova was said to have been born early at 32 weeks and faced various health challenges. The affidavit reportedly outlines her medical history, which includes a range of conditions such as chronic feeding disorder, emesis, dependence on a gastrostomy tube, global developmental delay, a history of gastroschisis, prematurity, moderate malnutrition, intestinal motility disorder, oropharyngeal dysphagia, short stature, and spinal asymmetry.
Volpatti approached the Clay County Sheriff’s Office two days following the incident to request a conversation with one of the case investigators. During her meeting with a detective, Volpatti reportedly confessed that she had not been entirely truthful with law enforcement in her earlier accounts.
Volpatti shared that after placing the children in the bathtub around 8:30 p.m., she went upstairs to fetch pajamas for the victim and was away for approximately five minutes when she heard one of her sons shout and discovered Nova floating in the tub.
During the discussion, it was claimed that Volpatti disclosed she had been speaking with a friend from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., leaving the victim unattended for over 30 minutes while she was in an upstairs bedroom on the phone.
Volpatti appeared for the first time in Clay County Court on October 25 and was ordered to be held on a bond of $75,000.
Celena Conkright and Kevin Bryant, the biological parents of Nova, expressed to Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV their desire for Volpatti to face prison time for neglecting their daughter.
“I hope Nova gets justice the way she should because she deserves it … I want her to serve time,” Conkright told the station, speaking about Volpatti. “She shouldn’t have had my daughter in the first place, but she also shouldn’t have left the room. That’s parenting 101.”