Texas Mother Accused Of 'horrific' Medical Child Abuse, Forcing Needless Surgeries On 3-year-old

A Texas female has been charged pinch falsifying her toddler’s aesculapian history to manipulate doctors into performing unnecessary procedures, including nan surgical insertion of feeding tubes, successful what officials are calling a "sickening" aesculapian kid maltreatment case.

Kaitlyn Rose Laura, 31, faces charges of wounded to a kid and aggravated battle pinch a deadly weapon, nan Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday. Sheriff Bill Waybourn called nan alleged aesculapian maltreatment a “horrific crime” successful a connection pursuing her arrest.

"These cases are often analyzable and challenging to investigate, which tin lead to them being overlooked wrong nan criminal justness system,” Waybourn said.

In an question and reply pinch NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, Waybourn said it was “absolutely sickening, erstwhile we’ve sewage a personification who knowingly and intentionally simply tortures a child.” He added that his ain adopted girl was erstwhile a unfortunate of aesculapian abuse.

The lawsuit was referred to Tarrant County successful February by nan Glen Rose Police Department, wherever Laura resides, aft nan section said it lacked nan resources to analyse nan allegations.

Court records were not instantly disposable Sunday, and it is unclear whether Laura has retained an attorney. She did not respond to a petition for remark sent by NBC News to aggregate email addresses recovered successful nationalist records.

A shape of deception

According to an apprehension affidavit, Laura had been systematically misleading aesculapian professionals astir nan wellness of her 3-year-old boy successful bid to get a feeding tube.

She allegedly told doctors astatine Cook Children’s Medical Center that her boy had stopped eating coagulated foods astatine property 2 and that she had knowledgeable a traumatic childbirth requiring precocious levels of oxygen and medicine — claims that were contradicted by a reappraisal of aesculapian records, according to nan affidavit.

At a March 2025 appointment, Laura told a expert that her boy had “always had trouble gaining weight and gathering his BMI,” nan affidavit states. She specifically requested a gastrostomy tube, commonly known arsenic a g-tube, claiming it had been recommended by different provider. Investigators recovered nary archiving supporting that claim.

Between April and May, Laura allegedly reported to doctors that her boy was refusing coagulated food, vomiting, and experiencing a “deteriorating” condition. Physicians later described her arsenic “very pushy for a g-tube from nan beginning” and said she was “extremely resistant” to alternatives.

A gastrostomy conduit was surgically placed connected May 20, 2025. Ten days later, nan boy was readmitted aft Laura allegedly reported problems pinch nan device.

Caught connected camera

During that inpatient stay, infirmary unit observed nan kid eating aggregate afloat meals by mouth. When aesculapian kid maltreatment became a concern, he was moved to a room equipped pinch covert video surveillance.

Footage reviewed by investigators showed Laura telling unit her boy refused each foods — including his favorites — while nan recordings captured nary specified behavior. Once unit grew suspicious, they stopped conduit feedings. According to nan affidavit, nan boy ate each his meals by rima without trouble for 3 consecutive days.

The boy allegedly ate each his meals by rima without rumor for 3 days.

"He gained weight connected these oral feeds anterior to leaving nan hospital," nan affidavit said. "His fare included French toast, pancakes, chicken, quesadillas, rice, fries, and pasta."

Doctors besides alleged that Laura many times insisted nan kid beryllium medicated contempt his appearing calm, and requested he beryllium confined to a specialized infirmary furniture pinch a tent-like enclosure that could only beryllium opened from nan outside.

A lawsuit that astir slipped done nan cracks

The lawsuit was initially reported to nan Fort Worth Police Department, which has jurisdiction complete nan hospital's area, but was forwarded to nan Glen Rose Police Department wherever Laura resided. Glen Rose past referred nan lawsuit to nan territory attorney's office.

Child Protective Services closed its lawsuit without removing nan kid from Laura’s custody. She subsequently near Cook Children’s attraction and began seeking curen astatine Children’s Medical Center Dallas, nan affidavit said.

Staff astatine Cook's Children said they did not cognize Laura was taking her boy to Children's Medical Center Dallas, but moreover if they did they would not person been capable to talk immoderate concerns without her consent owed to aesculapian privateness laws, nan affidavit said.

A 2nd CPS study was revenge successful October 2025, this clip by a coach astatine nan boy’s schoolhouse who said she observed nary of nan aesculapian issues his mother had described. The coach noted that his improvement “far exceeds what his mother describes” and that he could move without a wheelchair aliases limb braces and ate normally. Investigators again did not region nan kid to measure his information independently. Laura withdrew her boy from nan schoolhouse soon aft nan study was filed.

"It should beryllium noted that nan Texas Department of Family and Protective Services supply their investigators pinch nary policies aliases mandated training connected really to reside aesculapian kid abuse," nan affidavit said.

Further procedures and eventual intervention

In December 2025, Laura sought further curen astatine Children’s Medical Center Dallas, allegedly continuing to falsify accusation astir her son’s information while requesting room to insert a gastrojejunostomy conduit

A gastrojejunostomy tube, aliases GJ-tube, is akin to g-tube but extends from nan tummy to nan intestine to let nonstop provender into nan intestine, according to nan Children’s National pediatric wellness strategy website.

The kid underwent that process and was hospitalized from December 26, 2025, done January 9, 2026. He was readmitted to nan infirmary successful February owed to leaking of nan GJ-tube and was admitted inpatient, nan affidavit said.

During that stay, Laura allegedly discussed obtaining full parenteral nutrition (TPN) — intravenous feeding that requires placement of a cardinal statement — for her son. The affidavit states he showed nary aesculapian request for nan intervention. That petition prompted different CPS report, and nan kid was removed from his family’s attraction connected February 14.

Since entering foster care, he has been eating usually and nary longer requires a wheelchair. His foster mother, a nurse, reported that he “has nary problems eating aliases drinking without immoderate aesculapian aid” and that she has not needed to usage nan feeding conduit since his discharge, according to nan affidavit.

Fundraising and family

Investigators besides identified respective GoFundMe campaigns successful which Laura was asking for money owed to her child's purported aesculapian condition. The descriptions provided by Laura successful nan fundraising pages were recovered to beryllium inaccurate, according to nan affidavit.

She claimed, among different things, that her boy had knowledgeable “heart codes” and had been diagnosed pinch cerebral palsy — assertions that a kid maltreatment pediatrician astatine Children’s Medical Center Dallas disputed successful nan affidavit.

In an question and reply pinch investigators, Laura’s hubby said he was unaware she had requested TPN for their boy aliases that she had sought hospice attraction for him astatine immoderate constituent successful 2025. He “appeared shocked” upon learning this information.

He told investigators that Laura had antecedently worked successful location wellness astatine a institution specializing successful patients pinch feeding tubes, giving her aesculapian knowledge he did not possess. He said she had assumed afloat aesculapian caregiving work for their toddler while he cared for their 2 different children. The affidavit notes that nan different children were not removed from nan home.