A mum who horrifically drowned her one-year-old daughter coldly told the father ‘she’s in the bottom of the pool’ after carrying out the heinous act.
Tiny Nirvana was only about a month away from her second birthday when she was killed by Asia Calabrese-Lewis in May 2023. Security footage from the scene in Sandy Springs, Georgia showed the mum walking her toddler toward the pond, before she is seen walking back across the shot naked without the child a few moments later. The mother had been charged with two counts of murder and one count of first-degree cruelty to children.
However, on Friday she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. On the day of the incident, police had responded to reports of a disturbance when they found Calabrese-Lewis in a multi-storey car park.
She appeared to be mental episode, a police report said. While officers were at the scene, the child’s dad arrived and asked where his daughter was.
Explaining what she said in response, Sandy Springs Police Sgt. Matt McGinnis told a local TV station: “The father showed up … found her there with us and asked where the child was. She responded with something like, ‘She’s in the bottom of the pool.’”
Police found Nirvana in the pond a few moments later. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital, despite attempts by medics to save her.
Several months after her arrest, Calabrese-Lewis’s laywers filed a notice of intent, outlining that she planned to plead not guilty by reason of “insanity, mental illness, or intellectual disability.” A judge agreed with the attorney’s arguments on April 18, finding her not guilty of all three charges “by reason of insanity.”
Tributes flooded in for Nirvana on a Gofundme page set up by her grandparents after her death in 2023. One woman wrote: “So sorry to read of the loss of your precious baby girl. You and your family will always be in my prayers”.
Another said: “My heart absolutely broke reading about this poor baby girl. I pray your family can take the time you need to find healing”.
A neighbour wrote: “My condolences to you and your family. Your neighbours support you and continue to send love and prayers. We will always remember beautiful baby Nirvana’s smile and laughter. She touched the world in a special way.”
The fundraising page, set up to support the family, raised $7,660 (£5,700) of a $10,000 (£7,500) target.
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