Investigators say the sisters, ages 2 and 3, had cocaine in their systems when they died.

KATY, Texas — A 23-year-old mother has been charged in the deaths of her two young daughters after investigators said the girls were found in a backyard pool and later tested positive for cocaine.

Laura Nicholson faces two counts of injury to a child in Harris County after the Feb. 11 deaths of Kelsey Kite, 2, and Kinsley Kite, 3. The case began as a reported drowning at a Katy-area home, then shifted after medical findings and court records described cocaine and a cocaine metabolite in the children’s blood.

Deputies were called to the home in the 21000 block of Creek Edge Court after the children’s grandmother returned from errands and found both girls in the backyard swimming pool. Court records say Nicholson had been asleep on a couch inside the house when her mother left around 9:30 a.m., while the girls were playing in the living room. The grandmother returned shortly after 11 a.m., saw the back door partly open and found the children in the water. Nicholson later told investigators she woke when her mother was “screaming and hollering,” according to the records.

The grandmother and the children’s grandfather pulled the girls from the pool, with neighbors also rushing over after hearing the commotion. Multiple people called 911, and emergency crews tried to save the children before they were taken to a hospital. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said both toddlers were later pronounced dead despite lifesaving efforts. Investigators have said they do not know exactly how long the girls were in the pool before they were discovered. The early account from the sheriff’s office said the sisters appeared to have gotten outside through a patio door while adults in the home were asleep or away.

Investigators later focused on conditions inside the home and on the toxicology results. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences reported findings in late April that showed cocaine and benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, in both children’s blood. Court records said the medical examiner ruled the deaths were caused by drowning and acute cocaine toxicity. The same records said drowning can be hard to confirm or rule out by autopsy alone and often depends on the facts and circumstances around the death. A pathologist cited in the affidavits said cocaine can cause bodily injury to a child and raise the risk of death by increasing heart rate, increasing blood pressure and restricting arteries.

The records also described warnings that had existed before the girls died. Nicholson told investigators her daughters were “always” getting out and running toward the pool, according to an affidavit. She also said a latch on the door leading to the backyard had been broken for two days. Her father told investigators that Nicholson was fit to care for the children but also said she “falls asleep a lot and this causes issues.” Her mother accused Nicholson of cocaine use during an interview with Texas Child Protective Services after the deaths, according to court records. Nicholson also told investigators that CPS had questioned her the year before about drug allegations.

The charges were filed May 8, nearly three months after the sisters died. Gonzalez announced the case publicly on May 11, saying homicide detectives had charged Nicholson for her alleged involvement in the deaths of her daughters. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of two young toddlers, sisters, in our community,” Gonzalez said. The affidavits reviewed in the case allege Nicholson provided cocaine to the children, though investigators have not released a full public account of how they believe the drug got into the girls’ systems. It was not clear from available records whether any other person was under investigation or could face charges.

Nicholson was not arrested in Texas. Authorities said the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Violent Criminals Apprehension Team worked with a regional fugitive task force to find her in Florida. She was arrested in the Fort Myers area and booked into the Lee County Jail. Local reports identified the arresting agencies as including Florida authorities and a U.S. Marshals task force. Her Texas charges are listed as injury to a child, an offense that can involve acts or omissions that cause serious bodily injury or place a child in danger. A defense attorney for Nicholson was not listed in early court and jail records.

The deaths stunned the Katy-area neighborhood, where the family had lived with the girls’ grandparents. In the first days after the incident, officials identified the children as Kelsey and Kinsley and said the case was a devastating loss for the family and the community. Major Ben Katrib of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office called the scene “a very sad, unfortunate circumstance” in an early briefing. At that time, authorities had not yet announced the toxicology findings, and the case was still being presented as a drowning investigation with unanswered questions about how the children reached the pool.

The case now turns on both the medical findings and what investigators say the adults in the home knew before the girls died. The affidavits place Nicholson asleep inside the home while the children were awake, describe a broken latch on the door to the backyard and cite Nicholson’s own statement that the girls often tried to get to the pool. They also place the grandmother away from the house for about 90 minutes, returning to a partially open door and then to the pool. The grandfather told investigators he returned from work around 8:30 a.m., played with the girls while they ate and then went to bed around 9:30 a.m.

Prosecutors have not publicly detailed the full path of the case beyond the two felony counts. Nicholson remained connected to proceedings in Florida after her arrest there, with her return to Texas depending on the transfer process between states. The central unresolved questions include how the children ingested cocaine, who had access to the drug, what happened in the home between 9:30 a.m. and shortly after 11 a.m., and whether investigators will seek more charges after reviewing the forensic and witness evidence.

Nicholson has been charged but not tried in the deaths of Kelsey and Kinsley Kite. The next major step is her appearance in Texas court after custody and transfer issues are resolved.

Author note: Last updated June 4, 2026.