Former Merrill woman charged with homicide, child neglect in death of 5-year-old daughter

Katelyn M. Nardi, age 27, formerly of Merrill and now listing a Tomahawk address, was charged in Lincoln County Circuit Court on March 23, 2026, with two felony counts in connection with the Oct. 22, 2025, death of her 5-year-old daughter, Oakley Nardi, in Merrill.
Katelyn Nardi faces one count of first degree reckless homicide, a Class B felony carrying a sentence of up to 60 years in prison if convicted, and one count of neglecting a child with death as a consequence, a Class D felony carrying a fine of up to $100,000 and/or up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
According to the Criminal Complaint, Merrill Police Department (MPD) officers and Merrill Fire Department Ambulance were dispatched to 509 E. 7th St. in Merrill at approximately 9:29 a.m. on Oct. 22, 2025, after a report that a child had drowned in a bathtub and CPR was in progress. Upon arrival, officers located the child unresponsive in the front entryway or dining room of the residence. She was pronounced dead at the hospital at 10:27 a.m.

What the complaint alleges
According to the complaint, at the scene, law enforcement spoke with Trevor Haumschild, Nardi’s fiancé, who said Nardi had been giving Oakley a bath, stepped out of the bathroom for approximately five minutes to get clothing, and returned to find the child unresponsive in the bathtub. Nardi gave a consistent account to investigators.
Oakley had a documented history of seizures and was prescribed multiple anti-epileptic medications, including Levetiracetam (Keppra), Lamotrigine, Clobazam, and Midazolam. The complaint alleges Haumschild said Oakley had not received her seizure medication the morning of her death, with her last dose having been given the night before.
Investigators noted the home was in poor condition, describing extensive piles of dirty laundry throughout the house, dog feces and urine in multiple rooms including Oakley’s bedroom, and garbage on floors throughout the residence. The complaint noted that the bathtub in which Oakley had been bathed still contained the water with hair and debris floating in it.
The complaint alleges Haumschild said they had started removing the Keppra earlier than the doctors had ordered, stating they had gone “one mL less than what they were supposed to give her 2.5 mL.”
A post-mortem toxicology report, received by MPD on Nov. 7, 2025, found that Levetiracetam (Keppra) — one of Oakley’s prescribed seizure medications — was completely absent from her system at the time of her death. The complaint notes that abruptly stopping this type of medication, rather than slowly reducing it as prescribed, can increase seizure activity, including severe seizure activity. Investigators say this suggested Oakley had not been receiving the medication as prescribed for multiple days prior to her death.
The complaint also alleges that Nardi and Haumschild had been warned repeatedly by Oakley’s medical providers not to leave her unattended in or near water. Medical records cited in the complaint from multiple appointments noted instructions to “maintain seizure precautions,” and the complaint states that just 13 days before Oakley’s death, the family met with a genetic counselor at St. Vincent Hospital Medical Genetics and went over circumstances to avoid, which specifically listed bathing alone as a situation in which sudden loss of consciousness could lead to injury or death. A seizure safety plan in Oakley’s medical records also specifically addressed not leaving her alone in a bathtub.
The complaint further alleges that on the morning of Oakley’s death, phone records showed Nardi made three calls to Marathon County Social Services — at 9:21 a.m. and 9:22 a.m. — before the 911 call was placed at 9:28 a.m., approximately seven minutes after the last call to social services.
Brain examination following an autopsy conducted Oct. 23, 2025, at the Marathon County Forensic Science Center determined that Oakley had seizure activity present in her brain, though it could not be confirmed whether a seizure occurred while she was in the bathtub.

Initial appearance in court
Nardi made an initial appearance in Lincoln County Circuit Court, in person, before Judge Galen Bayne-Allison on Monday, March 23, and was represented by Attorney Restemayer, via special appearance. She is eligible for a public defender.
A $150,000 cash bond was set for Nardi, along with conditions that, if released, she is to have no contact with any minor child, may not hold a supervisory role or a position as caregiver for any minor child or vulnerable adult, may not leave Wisconsin, and is to surrender any passport or passport card and may not obtain a replacement.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled in the matter on March 31, 2026, at 3:45 pm.

Presumption of innocence
Unless or until a judgment of conviction is entered, Nardi is presumed innocent of all charges.