A Florida mother has been taken into custody three months after her two young daughters tragically drowned in Texas, with cocaine found in their systems, according to officials.
The incident occurred on February 11 when deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office were called to a residence in Katy, Texas, following reports of two children drowning. The young victims, aged 2 and 3, later tested positive for cocaine.
Authorities are investigating how the children came into contact with the drug and what potential involvement their mother, 23-year-old Laura Nicholson, might have had in the incident.
Prior to her arrest on Monday in Fort Myers, Florida, Nicholson was charged on May 8 with two counts of injury to a child in relation to the deaths.
Laura Nicholson now faces charges in Florida, accused of two counts of injury to a child following the tragic deaths of her daughters, authorities reported. (Source: Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Under Texas law, the charge of injury to a child encompasses acts or omissions resulting in serious harm or endangering a child’s safety. However, officials have not disclosed the specific actions that led to these charges in this case.
Authorities have not said when toxicology results confirmed the presence of cocaine or what specific evidence led to charges being filed nearly three months after the incident.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said its Violent Criminals Apprehension Team coordinated with the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force to locate Nicholson in Florida.
Nicholson was taken into custody Monday afternoon in Fort Myers, Fla., according to authorities. (Getty Images)
Nicholson was taken into custody Monday afternoon in Fort Myers, according to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
Members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, who are also deputized as part of the U.S. Marshals Task Force, located Nicholson at a local mental health treatment facility around noon and took her into custody without incident.
She was transported to the Lee County Jail.
“This arrest highlights the strong partnership the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has with the U.S. Marshals Service and law enforcement agencies across the country, working together to locate and apprehend wanted fugitives,” Marceno said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of two young toddlers — sisters — in our community,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, wrote on X, announcing Nicholson’s arrest. “May these little ones rest in peace.”
Law enforcement officials responded to the drowning deaths of two children in Katy, Texas, on Feb. 11, authorities said. (Getty Images)
Authorities have not said how the toddlers were exposed to cocaine or whether investigators believe the substance was ingested accidentally or through neglect.
It also remains unclear whether anyone else could face charges in connection with the case, and when Nicholson will be extradited to Texas to face the charges.
It was not immediately clear whether Nicholson has retained an attorney. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for additional details.
Investigators have not released further details about the circumstances surrounding the drowning deaths, and the case remains under investigation.
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