KATY, TX — A Katy woman charged in connection with the deaths of her two young children, who were found with cocaine in their systems after drowning in a backyard pool, has been returned to Harris County after being extradited from Florida and was expected to appear Friday before Judge Ana Martinez in the 179th District Court at the Harris County Criminal Courthouse in downtown Houston.
Laura Nicholson, 23, faces two counts of reckless injury to a child — serious bodily injury in connection with the Feb. 11, 2026, deaths of her 2-year-old and 3-year-old children, who were found unresponsive in a swimming pool at the family's home at 21031 Creek Edge Court in Katy. The neighborhood is off of Lakes of Bridgewater Drive not far from North Mason and Morton roads.
Children Found Unresponsive in Backyard Pool
According to a criminal complaint filed by the Harris County District Attorney's Office, a Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit detective was called to the residence that morning after the two children were found unresponsive in the backyard pool. Both children were life-flighted to Memorial Hermann Hospital Downtown.
The complaint states the children's grandmother, Catherine Nicholson, told investigators she had left the home to run errands around 9:30 a.m. and upon returning just after 11 a.m. found the back door partially open and both children in the pool. She called 911.
Mother Allegedly Asleep as Children Accessed Pool Through Broken Door Latch
Investigators allege Laura Nicholson was asleep on the couch at the time. She told investigators she had gone to bed around 12:45 a.m. and that the door latch to the pool area had been broken for two days and would not lock.
Autopsies Find Cocaine in Both Children's Blood
Autopsies performed by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science found cocaine and benzoylecgonine in both children's blood. Benzoylecgonine is a byproduct the body produces when it breaks down cocaine, and its presence in the blood indicates prior cocaine exposure. According to the complaint, a forensic pathologist stated that any amount of cocaine in the body of a child that age can cause serious bodily injury and substantially increases the risk of death. The autopsies could not rule out or confirm drowning as the cause of death.
Grandmother Accused Mother of Cocaine Use, CPS Records Show
The complaint further states that a CPS investigator told authorities the children's grandmother had accused Nicholson of cocaine use, and that the broken back door latch had been confirmed by investigators.
Two Felony Charges Filed
Harris County Chief District Attorney Tiffany Dupree reviewed the facts of the investigation and approved the filing of two felony charges, according to the complaint. Bond was referred to a magistrate.