A Texas mother has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies after authorities say she fabricated her toddler's medical conditions, forcing him into a wheelchair and subjecting him to numerous unnecessary surgeries and treatments over more than a year.
Kaitlyn Rose Laura, 31, of Glen Rose, Texas, was taken into custody by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office in late March 2026 and booked on a first-degree felony charge of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, as well as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
She was given a combined bond of $125,000, posted it, and was released from the Tarrant County Jail on March 31. Investigators have labeled the case a "horrific crime" of medical child abuse, also known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, according to People.
According to an 18-page arrest warrant affidavit, Laura repeatedly misled doctors at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth by claiming her son suffered from cerebral palsy, seizures, a mitochondrial disorder, autism, developmental delays, and severe feeding problems, none of which were supported by his medical records.
Doctors told investigators the cerebral palsy diagnosis was false, and hospital staff observed the child eating multiple meals by mouth without difficulty during periods when Laura was not present. A physical therapist at the hospital also reported seeing the boy crawling on the floor and attempting to stand on his own.
Between 2022 and 2024, the child underwent numerous invasive procedures, including the surgical placement of a gastrostomy tube, or G-tube. In January 2025, an additional surgery was performed to place a new feeding tube, and the following month, Laura attempted to re-admit her son to the hospital, claiming complications with the device.
She also requested he be confined to a "posey bed", a tent-like enclosure accessible only from the outside, though hospital staff found he did not require it once he was separated from her.
The first report of abuse was filed with Child Protective Services in June 2025, after doctors at Cook Children's determined Laura had lied about or exaggerated her son's conditions.
CPS, however, closed its investigation without removing the child from her custody, and Laura subsequently left Cook Children's and began seeking treatments for her son at Children's Medical Center Dallas. Staff at Cook Children's were unable to alert the Dallas hospital due to medical privacy regulations, NBC News reported.
A second report was filed in October 2025 by a school teacher, who told authorities the boy was able to eat solid food and move around the school campus without his wheelchair or gait trainer.
Laura pulled her son out of school shortly after that report was made. In February 2026, a Glen Rose police officer contacted Tarrant County detectives, and a CPS investigator also reported that Laura had attempted to leave Children's Medical Center Dallas against medical advice after being flagged by child abuse pediatricians.
During a hospital stay for observation in February 2026, the child was removed from Laura's custody and placed into medical foster care on February 26. Detectives who contacted the foster caregivers in March 2026 were told the boy could run without a wheelchair and eat without any difficulty. Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn stated that the child is "flourishing" with his foster family.
Investigators also discovered at least three GoFundMe accounts created by Laura to solicit donations, citing her son's fabricated illnesses as the basis for financial requests.
A Tarrant County detective shared screenshots of an online fundraiser with a child abuse pediatrician at Children's Medical Center Dallas, who confirmed that the medical claims Laura made on the platform were untrue. Authorities are now investigating potential Medicaid fraud in connection with the case.
During the investigation, law enforcement interviewed the child's father, who said Laura had previously worked in home health at a company in Granbury that specialized in patients with feeding tubes, making her well-versed in medical terminology.
He told investigators he was unaware that Laura had requested hospice care or intravenous nutrition for their son. Deputies also searched Laura's home and seized her cell phone, two tablets, two laptops, and medical supplies and medications prescribed to the child.
As a condition of her bond, Laura is prohibited from contacting her son, any child under the age of 17, or her child's immediate family. The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone who donated to Laura or exchanged messages with her about the child's health to contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 817-884-1305, as per Fox4News.
