A 23-year-old Katy mother faces two felony counts of injury to a child after her daughters, ages 3 and 2, were found drowned in the family’s backyard swimming pool with cocaine in their systems.
Laura Nicholson was charged May 8 in Harris County with the offenses in connection with the February 11 deaths of her daughters, Kinsley Kite and Kelsey Kite. Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigators say the toddlers were discovered unresponsive in the pool at a home in the 21000 block of Creek Edge Court in west Harris County. Their grandmother found them and called for help. Both children were flown to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
Autopsies completed April 30 determined the primary cause of death for both girls was drowning combined with acute cocaine toxicity. Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of cocaine and cocaine metabolites in their blood.
Nicholson told detectives she had fallen asleep on the couch inside the residence and was awakened by her mother’s screams. The family lived together at the Katy home.
A 23-year-old mother has been charged in connection with the deaths of her two toddler daughters after the children were found drowned in a pool in Texas with cocaine in their systems, authorities say. https://t.co/vZHikMw3kG
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 15, 2026
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office continued its investigation for several months before filing the charges. On May 11, Nicholson was arrested in Lee County, Florida, near Fort Myers by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force at a local mental health treatment facility. She remains in custody in Lee County Jail awaiting extradition to Harris County.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez addressed the case directly on social media:
Arrest update:
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) May 11, 2026
On 2/11/26, @HCSOTexas detectives investigated the reported drowning of two toddlers; 3 and 2-year-old sisters at a residence located in the 21000 block of Creek Edge Court (Katy).
Our investigation determined that both children had cocaine in their systems at… https://t.co/WxWlTv1fj9 pic.twitter.com/HxxIX2hFDn
The deaths have drawn attention to the risks of unsecured backyard pools and substance exposure around young children in the greater Houston area. No additional charges have been filed, and the case remains under investigation.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news
Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
