Mother Accused of Medical Child Abuse in Texas
A Glen Rose, Texas woman, Kaitlyn Rose Laura, 30, is facing serious charges of medical child abuse, accused of fabricating her young son’s medical history to obtain unnecessary treatments, including a feeding tube, a wheelchair, and medication. The case, reviewed by CBS News Texas, has sparked outrage and concern.
The Allegations
According to an arrest warrant, Laura was taken into custody by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office in late March. She is charged with causing serious bodily injury to a child and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. If released on bond, she is prohibited from contacting her son, any child under 17, or her child’s immediate family.
The investigation began in mid-February 2026 when a Glen Rose police officer contacted Tarrant County detectives, alleging Laura misrepresented her son’s medical condition to secure an unnecessary feeding tube in June 2025. The child underwent surgery at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, but due to jurisdictional complexities, the case was initially referred between Fort Worth and Glen Rose police departments before reaching the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, where initial action was stalled due to limited resources.
Child Protective Services Involvement
A turning point came when a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigator contacted Tarrant County deputies in February 2026. The investigator reported that Laura and her son attempted to leave Children’s Medical Center Dallas against medical advice after being flagged to child abuse pediatricians for suspected medical child abuse. The investigator noted Laura claimed her son couldn’t eat by mouth and confined him to a posey bed. However, after being separated from his mother, the boy was observed eating normally and exhibiting mobility.
Conflicting Accounts and Social Media Evidence
Affidavits from child abuse pediatricians at Cook Children’s and a gastroenterologist at Children’s Medical Center Dallas revealed significant discrepancies between Laura’s claims and her son’s actual medical history. Detectives also reviewed Laura’s social media and fundraising accounts, requesting preservation of data from Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Medical records contradicted Laura’s accounts of her son’s birth, claiming a complicated breech delivery requiring extensive medication. Records showed a normal, pre-scheduled C-section with no complications. She also claimed her son stopped eating solid food at age two, but medical staff observed him eating normally when separated from her. She attributed his ability to eat to the appetite stimulant gabapentin.
Escalating Claims and Unnecessary Interventions
Laura repeatedly requested a posey bed, claiming her son’s “leg kicking” had broken cribs, despite staff observing no such need. She also sought respite care for nighttime tube feeds, which were discontinued when doctors confirmed her son could take medication by mouth. She even suggested her son might require hospice care and intravenous nutrition, despite no terminal illness.
The Turning Point and Current Status
Concerns escalated at Cook Children’s, leading to covert video recording of the boy’s room. Footage revealed inconsistencies between Laura’s claims and her son’s behavior. After being removed from his mother’s custody and placed in medical foster care in February 2026, the boy thrived, eating a variety of foods and being weaned off psychiatric medications.
Authorities are investigating potential Medicaid fraud related to unnecessary medical treatments and are asking anyone who donated to Laura’s fundraisers or communicated with her about her son’s health to contact the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office at (817) 884-1305.
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn described the case as a deliberate act of “torture” motivated by a desire for sympathy, highlighting the devastating impact on the child. He drew parallels to previous cases of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, emphasizing the long-term trauma the child may face.
Source: CBS News Texas
