Inset, left to right: Katelyn M. Nardi during her preliminary hearing (WSAW) and Oakley Nardi (Hansen-Schilling Funeral Home). Background: The area in Wisconsin where Nardi and her daughter lived at the time of Oakley's death (Google Maps).
A 27-year-old mother in Wisconsin is accused of leaving her medically vulnerable 5-year-old daughter alone in a "urine-filled" bathtub — a decision authorities allege led to the child's death.
Katelyn M. Nardi, 27, is charged with first-degree reckless homicide and neglecting a child resulting in death in the death of Oakley Taylor Nardi, court records show.
The fatal incident occurred Oct. 22, 2025, after the child, who had epilepsy, told her mother she wasn't feeling well and wanted to take a bath, according to a report from Wausau, Wisconsin, news station WSAU. Nardi reportedly began bathing the girl but left the bathroom for at least five minutes to retrieve pajamas and set up her daughter's bedroom for the night. When she returned, the child was unresponsive in the tub.
During a Monday preliminary hearing, prosecutors emphasized that Oakley was not the first child to die in Nardi's care. Her 5-month-old daughter also died in 2023.
Prosecutors told the judge that the circumstances surrounding Oakley's death went far beyond a momentary lapse in judgment, according to courtroom footage provided by Wausau CBS affiliate WSAW.
"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.
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