A Texas mom has been arrested after her two young daughters drowned in their home’s backyard pool, with tests revealing that the children ingested cocaine before their deaths.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez revealed in an X post on Monday, May 11, that Laura Nicholson had been charged with two counts of injury to a child following the deaths of her daughters Kelsey Kite and Kinsley Kite.
Kelsey, 2, and Kinsley, 3, drowned in the backyard pool of their home in West Harris County, Texas, on February 11.
“Our investigation determined that both children had cocaine in their systems at the time of their passing,” Gonzalez wrote in the statement.
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The department’s Violent Criminals Apprehension Team (VCAT) worked with the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force to arrest Nicholson, 23, in Florida, on Sunday, May 11, according to Gonzalez. She was then booked into Lee County Jail.
Following the tragedy, the medical examiner ruled the girls’ cause of death as “drowning and acute cocaine toxicity,” according to court records viewed by ABC13.
Additionally, Click2 Houston also reported that benzoylecgonine was found in Kelsey and Kinsley’s blood at the time of their deaths.
The autopsies, which were done in April, could not confirm or rule out death from drowning because the cause was reportedly difficult to determine, according to Click2 Houston.
Investigators previously said that Nicholson was sleeping when her daughters were found in the pool, according to ABC13. She was reportedly aware that the pool’s door latch had been broken and that the girls had easy access to the pool when unsupervised.
Court records also indicated that Nicholson was previously questioned by CPS regarding drug allegations after her mother accused her of using cocaine, per the outlet.
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The girls’ were discovered in the pool by their grandmother when she arrived at the home just after 11 a.m. on February 11, according to People.
The sheriff’s office said that their initial investigation suggested that the girls snuck out to the backyard while their mother and grandfather were sleeping and the grandmother was at the grocery store.
It is not currently clear if Nicholson has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest.
Following Kelsey and Kinsley’s deaths, they were remembered as “beacons of joy” in their obituary.
“In a world that shone a little brighter, Kinsley and Kelsey Kite graced our lives with their infectious laughter and boundless joy,” the obituary read. “Born in Houston, Texas, they grew up surrounded by the love of their family and the vibrant hues of childhood wonder, adorned by their affection for stuffed animals and all things pink—a testament to their endearing spirit and love for everything girlie.”
