'She falls asleep a lot': 23-year-old mom was passed out on couch while her 2 kids were dying in pool with cocaine in their systems, grandma came home to find them, cops say

A Texas parent was allegedly passed retired connected her sofa erstwhile her two kids, ages 2 and 3, were some recovered dying successful a backyard pool. The pistillate was awakened by her parent "screaming and hollering" aft she came location to find the girls successful the water, cops say.

"She falls dormant a lot," Laura Nicholson's begetter told constabulary astir the 23-year-old mom, who is facing 2 counts of wounded to a kid for her "alleged engagement successful the decease of her daughters," who some had "cocaine successful their systems astatine the clip of their passing," according to tribunal documents and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

An apprehension affidavit viewed by Law&Crime says constabulary responded to the family's location successful Katy connected Feb. 11 aft Nicholson's mother came location to find her 2 granddaughters successful the h2o and called 911. She and the children's gramps pulled the kids retired of the excavation with assistance from neighbors and tried to execute CPR connected them.

"Nicholson told [police] that she had fallen dormant connected the sofa and was awaken[ed] by her parent … screaming and hollering," the affidavit says.

Nicholson allegedly lives with her parents and was "asleep connected the couch" erstwhile her parent near to "run immoderate errands" astir 9:30 a.m. that morning, according to her mother. The children were "playing successful the surviving country area" astatine the time, per the affidavit.

"[The grandmother] said erstwhile she returned conscionable aft 11 a.m. she observed the backmost doorway partially open," according to the charging document. "She said she past observed some children successful the excavation and began to shriek and holler. She said respective neighbors besides came implicit to assistance retired and called 911."

Nicholson's begetter told constabulary that her inclination to walk retired a batch "causes issues," but helium did not elaborate, per the affidavit. The antheral said Nicholson had been surviving astatine the residence for astir a year.

"[Nicholson] said her children are ever getting retired and moving to the pool," the affidavit says, citing statements that she gave to police. "She told [investigators] that CPS questioned her past twelvemonth astir cause allegations. She besides admitted that her parent woke her up erstwhile she got home."

The children were transported to a section hospital, wherever they aboriginal died. An autopsy revealed that some children had cocaine and a cocaine metabolite successful their systems, and drowning could not beryllium confirmed oregon disproven arsenic a origin of death.

"[The aesculapian examiner] stated that drowning is hard to spot connected an autopsy and is usually determined by the facts and condition of the death," the affidavit says. "However, [the M.E.] did authorities that some children … having entree to the excavation without due fencing and locks was highly unsafe and not providing capable supervision to the children could surely person been a contributing origin to the deaths of the children."

State records amusement that Nicholson's parent had antecedently filed a ailment with Child Protective Services astir her utilizing cocaine, the affidavit says. Nicholson and her parents allegedly told constabulary that the "latch connected the backdoor retired to the excavation country was not moving properly," which was confirmed by authorities.

Nicholson was charged connected Friday aft being arrested successful Florida.