Laura Nicholson, Katy, Texas mom charged after tests reveal 2 daughters who drowned in backyard pool had cocaine in their system. Parent struggled with cocaine addiction.
A Texas mother is facing felony charges after tests revealed her infant daughters had ingested cocaine prior to drowning earlier this year.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a post on X that 2- and 3-year-old sisters drowned at a backyard pool at a West Harris County home on Feb. 11.
An investigation determined the toddlers had cocaine in their systems when they died.
Cause of death the result of ‘drowning and acute cocaine toxicity,’
The siblings lived at the property with their mother and grandparents.
Laura Nicholson, 23, of Katy was charged on May 8 with two counts of injury to a child for her alleged involvement in the death of her daughters.
Gonzalez added that on Sunday, May 11, ‘our Violent Criminals Apprehension Team (VCAT) coordinated with the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force, who arrested Nicholson in Florida and booked her into the Lee County Jail.’
The medical examiner ruled the girls’ cause of death as ‘drowning and acute cocaine toxicity,’ according to court records obtained by ABC13.
The children had benzoylecgonine in their blood in addition to the cocaine.
Katy, Texas parent struggled with addiction
The children’s autopsies could not confirm or rule out death from drowning because the cause was difficult to determine, according to Fox 26 Houston.
According to court documents, Nicholson stated she had fallen asleep on the couch and was awakened by her mother screaming and hollering after finding the girls in the pool.
She also told officials that the latch on the door leading to the backyard had been broken for two days, ABC13 reported.
Laura also stated to authorities that CPS questioned her last year about drug allegations.
Bond for Laura Nicholson has not been set yet.
