Investigators said both girls had cocaine in their systems when they died.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A 23-year-old mother has been charged after her two young daughters drowned in a west Harris County backyard pool and later tested positive for cocaine, authorities said.
Laura Nicholson was charged Friday with two counts of injury to a child, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. The charges followed an autopsy completed April 30 in the deaths of the sisters, ages 2 and 3, who were found in a pool Feb. 11 at a home on Creek Edge Court.
Deputies first responded after a woman called 911, screaming that two children had drowned in the pool. The girls were taken to a hospital, where both were pronounced dead despite lifesaving efforts. Gonzalez said the case deeply saddened the community. “May these little ones rest in peace,” he said in announcing the arrest update.
Court records say Nicholson told investigators she was asleep when the children were found. Investigators wrote that she knew a door latch leading to the backyard had been broken and that the girls often got out and ran toward the pool. The children lived at the home with their mother and grandparents, authorities said.
The medical examiner ruled the primary cause of death as drowning and acute cocaine toxicity, according to court records. Investigators said cocaine was found in the children’s blood. Records also say Nicholson previously had been questioned by Child Protective Services after her mother accused her of using cocaine. Authorities have not said how the children ingested the drug.
Gonzalez said Nicholson was found Monday near Fort Myers, Florida, by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. She was booked into the Lee County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Harris County. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said its Violent Criminals Apprehension Team helped coordinate the arrest.
The girls were identified in an online obituary as Kelsey and Kinsley. The obituary described them as “beacons of joy” whose laughter filled the lives of relatives and neighbors. Their deaths shook the neighborhood in February as deputies, paramedics and investigators worked outside the home where the pool was located.
The case now moves back to Harris County, where Nicholson is expected to face the two felony counts. Investigators have not released a full timeline for extradition or said whether additional charges could be filed.
Author note: Last updated May 12, 2026.