Texas mother charged after she forced her 3-year-old to undergo surgery

Authorities have charged a North Texas mother after she forced her 3-year-old son to undergo surgery and other unnecessary medical treatments. According to the arrest warrant, the mother forced her child to use a feeding tube and a wheelchair when they were not required, and she also forced the child to take unnecessary medications.

A 29-year-old mother from Glen Rose, North Texas, identified as Kaitlyn Rose Laura, was arrested by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office in late March. She has been charged with causing serious bodily injury to a child and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She remains in custody, and even If she posts bond, she is not allowed to contact her son, any child under the age of 17, or any immediate family member of her 3-year-old son.

The arrest warrant mentions that Glen Rose Police contacted the Tarrant County detectives in mid-February of this year. Police alleged that Laura lied about her son’s medical history to obtain an unnecessary medical tube in June last year. The child underwent surgery at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth. It was also noted that the Fort Worth Police had referred the case to Glen Rose Police because the accused lived within the city limits.

According to the warrant, Glen Rose police had then referred the case to the Johnson District Attorney’s Office, but no legal action was taken. The warrant notes that the department has only two officers and lacks the resources to investigate a case of this complexity.

The warrant goes on to explain that a Child Protective Services investigator had contacted Tarrant County deputies in February 2026, reporting that Laura and her son had attempted to leave Children's Medical Center Dallas against medical advice after she was flagged for child abuse by pediatricians for suspected medical child abuse. The investigator claimed that Laura said her son could not eat by mouth and kept him in a Poosey bed, a tent-like enclosure that can only be opened from the outside.

After the 3-year-old was separated from his mother, the authorities said the boy was mobile and was eating pancakes and sausages. The warrant states that Laura forced the child to use a wheelchair.

Detectives with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office reviewed several social media accounts of Laura and her fundraising accounts, where she had documented her son’s medical history. The detectives requested Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to preserve her account for investigation purposes.

Laura claimed that her son had cerebral palsy and couldn’t walk or eat solid foods, even though the medical staff and teachers at school said none of the resulting intrusive medical treatments seemed necessary, according to the arrest affidavit.

Laura allegedly also started three GoFundMe accounts on the basis of her son. The accused's behavior appears to mirror Munchausen by Proxy.