The children died Feb. 11 after being pulled from a backyard pool.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A west Harris County mother was arrested in Florida after autopsy results showed her two toddler daughters had cocaine in their systems when they drowned in February, authorities said.
Laura Nicholson, 23, faces two counts of injury to a child in the deaths of her daughters, who were 2 and 3 years old. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the charges were filed Friday, more than two months after deputies responded to the family’s home on Creek Edge Court.
The emergency call came Feb. 11 from a woman who reported that two children had drowned in a pool. Deputies said the girls were pulled from the water and flown or taken for emergency care, but both died at the hospital. The sisters were later identified in an online obituary as Kelsey and Kinsley.
Investigators said Nicholson was asleep when the girls were found in the backyard pool. Court records say she told authorities she knew the backyard door latch had been broken for about two days. Records also say she knew the children often got out of the house and ran toward the pool area.
The Harris County medical examiner completed the autopsy April 30. Court records say the cause of death was listed as drowning and acute cocaine toxicity. Investigators have not publicly explained how the drug entered the children’s systems, and officials have not released the full toxicology report.
The case also included earlier concerns about drug use, according to court records. Investigators wrote that Nicholson had previously been questioned by Child Protective Services after her mother accused her of using cocaine. Authorities have not said whether CPS had an open case at the time of the drownings.
Gonzalez said Nicholson was located Monday near Fort Myers, Florida, by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. She was booked into the Lee County Jail and remained there while awaiting extradition to Harris County. The sheriff’s office said its fugitive team worked with Florida authorities on the arrest.
The deaths drew attention across the Katy-area neighborhood where the family lived with the children’s grandparents. The girls’ obituary called them joyful children whose laughter echoed around them. Gonzalez said the deaths were tragic and asked the community to keep the children in mind as the case proceeds.
Nicholson’s next court steps will begin after she is returned to Harris County. As of Tuesday, officials had not announced an extradition date or any additional charges.
Author note: Last updated May 12, 2026.