A Texas woman is accused of repeatedly lying to doctors so they would perform invasive procedures on her healthy toddler, including two feeding-tube surgeries, according to authorities. Kaitlyn Rose Laura, 31, of Glen Rose, has been charged in Tarrant County with injury to a child and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, tied to the use of medical devices on her 3-year-old son. Sheriff Bill Waybourn described the alleged conduct as "absolutely sickening" child torture by a "narcissistic person, for their own pleasure of getting the sympathy for having a fragile child," per NBC News and People. Laura could not be reached for comment, and it's not clear if she has an attorney.
An arrest affidavit alleges Laura misrepresented her son's birth, eating habits, weight, and diagnoses to doctors at Cook Children's Medical Center and later Children's Medical Center Dallas, pressing for feeding tubes and other interventions that records did not support. Staff at Cook Children's became suspicious when the boy was seen eating full meals while his mother insisted he would not eat by mouth. He was also seen trying to stand, though his mother insisted he needed a wheelchair, per the Dallas Morning News. A teacher also reported that the boy's development and mobility far exceeded what Laura had described.
Doctors said Laura pushed for medication, specialized confinement beds, and, later, intravenous feeding, despite no apparent medical need. She was reported to Child Protective Services three times before her son was finally removed from her care in February, per the Morning News. In foster care, authorities say he eats without assistance and does not use a wheelchair. Investigators cite multiple GoFundMe campaigns in which Laura allegedly exaggerated or fabricated her son's condition, including claims of cardiac emergencies and cerebral palsy, while seeking donations. Arrested and released on bond, she's now being investigated for Medicaid fraud, authorities say.
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