CLAY COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A Grandmother seeks justice after investigators say her granddaughter drowned in a bathtub while in the care of a foster mother.
Nova Lei Bryant was born on August 25, 2022.
“Nova was born premature,” her Grandmother Carri Staton said, “She had gastroschisis, which is the intestines on the outside.”
Carri says the child brought joy to the family, “She was the most beautiful little girl. She was Celena’s light. It was like her miracle baby.”
About two months after Nova’s birth, Carri said Nova was taken away from her daughter, Celena Conkright, and her son-in-law, Kiven Bryant, and placed in foster care.
“When she got taken from her (Celena), it was like her whole world crumbled,” Staton recalled. “So she and my son-in-law did what they could; everything they were told to do, they did.”
Carri says Celena has ADHD and ADD.
“There are a lot of people with disabilities that can take care of children, and I feel that if she’d been given the chance, she could’ve done it with flying colors. That was her angel; she’d never let anything happen,” Carrie said.
Carri said Nova was in her third foster home when tragedy struck. According to a Probable Cause Affidavit (PCA), on May 21, Brazil Police responded to the home of Hailynn Volpatti, Nova’s foster mother, after Volpatti found the child unresponsive in the bathtub.
Volpatti told responding officers that she placed Nova in the bathtub with her two biological sons, both age four when she stepped out of the bathroom to get a drink. However, her story later changed, and she stated that she was out of the bathroom for thirty minutes.
After nearly two months in the hospital, Nova passed away on June 16, 2024, at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
“Why did this even happen,” Carrie questioned. “It should never happen. Parenting 101, ‘Don’t ever walk away from a toddler in a bathtub,'” she added.
Carrie went on to say, “She didn’t deserve that. She was just a little baby, and she didn’t ask to have this happen to her. In my opinion, accident like that would not of happened if she hadn’t of walked away from the bathroom.”
Carri recalled the moment her daughter got the call about the incident.
“She was frantic,” Carrie said. “That night, she was frantic; the next day, she was frantic. When we found out the information, Celena and my son-in-law were there (at the hospital) 24 hours a day ’til the day she passed.”
Carri remembered the tragedy: “When all this happened, it was like our whole world came crushing—kind of like boulders dropping on you. It dropped my heart. She was a little angel, light of my life.”
Carri questioned how the Department of Child Services handled the situation.
“I feel the system failed her,” Carrie said.
WTWO reached out to the Indiana Department of Child Services. DCS provided the following statement:
The death of a child is a tragedy. DCS investigated this incident and is taking action to revoke the individual’s foster license. We cannot provide additional detail due to confidentiality laws. Foster parents complete an extensive background check and vetting process prior to having a child placed with them, along with ongoing training/education and oversight to maintain licensure. Additional information can be found here: DCS: Chapter 12 – Foster Family Home Licensing.
Indiana Department of Child Services
As the family seeks answers, a grandma reflects on what might have been.
“It’s like losing my own child,” Carrie said. “And it’s very hurtful. We didn’t get to bond like we should’ve, and I didn’t get to be like playing with her, watching her get married, and graduating high school.”
On Friday, Volpatti pleaded not guilty in court. Her jury trial is scheduled for April 15.
