23-year-old Laura Nicholson was charged with two counts of reckless injury to a child.
KATY, Texas — A mother is facing two counts of reckless injury to a child after her 2- and 3-year-old daughters were found unresponsive in the backyard swimming pool in Katy on Feb. 11, 2026. The girls were flown to a Houston hospital, where they later died.
Authorities said 23-year-old Laura Nicholson was arrested Monday in Florida and booked into the Lee County Jail.
According to court documents, Nicholson told investigators she fell asleep on the couch while the toddlers were playing in the living room. She was woken up by screams from her mother, who came home, found both toddlers in the swimming pool, and called 911.
Investigators said the latch on the back door leading to the pool was not working properly, allowing the children access to the unfenced pool area. Nicholson told investigators the latch had been broken for two days and that her daughters would get out and run to the pool.
Court records say the medical examiner found cocaine and a cocaine metabolite in both children’s blood. The medical examiner reportedly noted that any amount of cocaine in children that age can cause serious bodily injury and increase the risk of death.
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