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A Texas woman has been charged with falsifying her toddler’s medical history to manipulate doctors into performing unnecessary procedures, including the surgical insertion of feeding tubes, in what officials are calling a “sickening” medical child abuse case.

Kaitlyn Rose Laura, 31, faces charges of injury to a child and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday. Sheriff Bill Waybourn called the alleged medical abuse a “horrific crime” in a statement following her arrest.

“These cases are often complex and challenging to investigate, which can lead to them being overlooked within the criminal justice system,” Waybourn said.

In an interview with NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, Waybourn said it was “absolutely sickening, when we’ve got a person who knowingly and intentionally simply tortures a child.” He added that his own adopted daughter was once a victim of medical abuse.

The case was referred to Tarrant County in February by the Glen Rose Police Department, where Laura resides, after the department said it lacked the resources to investigate the allegations.

Court records were not immediately available Sunday, and it is unclear whether Laura has retained an attorney. She did not respond to a request for comment sent by NBC News to multiple email addresses found in public records.

A pattern of deception

According to an arrest affidavit, Laura had been systematically misleading medical professionals about the health of her 3-year-old son in order to obtain a feeding tube.

She allegedly told doctors at Cook Children’s Medical Center that her son had stopped eating solid foods at age 2 and that she had experienced a traumatic childbirth requiring high levels of oxygen and medication — claims that were contradicted by a review of medical records, according to the affidavit.

At a March 2025 appointment, Laura told a physician that her son had “always had difficulty gaining weight and meeting his BMI,” the affidavit states. She specifically requested a gastrostomy tube, commonly known as a g-tube, claiming it had been recommended by another provider. Investigators found no documentation supporting that claim.

Between April and May, Laura allegedly reported to doctors that her son was refusing solid food, vomiting, and experiencing a “deteriorating” condition. Physicians later described her as “very pushy for a g-tube from the beginning” and said she was “extremely resistant” to alternatives.

A gastrostomy tube was surgically placed on May 20, 2025. Ten days later, the boy was readmitted after Laura allegedly reported problems with the device.

Caught on camera

During that inpatient stay, hospital staff observed the child eating multiple full meals by mouth. When medical child abuse became a concern, he was moved to a room equipped with covert video surveillance.

Footage reviewed by investigators showed Laura telling staff her son refused all foods — including his favorites — while the recordings captured no such behavior. Once staff grew suspicious, they stopped tube feedings. According to the affidavit, the boy ate all his meals by mouth without difficulty for three consecutive days.

The boy allegedly ate all his meals by mouth without issue for three days.

“He gained weight on these oral feeds prior to leaving the hospital,” the affidavit said. “His diet included French toast, pancakes, chicken, quesadillas, rice, fries, and pasta.”

Doctors also alleged that Laura repeatedly insisted the child be medicated despite his appearing calm, and requested he be confined to a specialized hospital bed with a tent-like enclosure that could only be opened from the outside.

A case that nearly slipped through the cracks

The case was initially reported to the Fort Worth Police Department, which has jurisdiction over the hospital’s area, but was forwarded to the Glen Rose Police Department where Laura resided. Glen Rose then referred the case to the district attorney’s office.

Child Protective Services closed its case without removing the child from Laura’s custody. She subsequently left Cook Children’s care and began seeking treatment at Children’s Medical Center Dallas, the affidavit said.

Staff at Cook’s Children said they did not know Laura was taking her son to Children’s Medical Center Dallas, but even if they did they would not have been able to discuss any concerns without her consent due to medical privacy laws, the affidavit said.

A second CPS report was filed in October 2025, this time by a teacher at the boy’s school who said she observed none of the medical issues his mother had described. The teacher noted that his development “far exceeds what his mother describes” and that he could move without a wheelchair or leg braces and ate normally. Investigators again did not remove the child to assess his condition independently. Laura withdrew her son from the school shortly after the report was filed.

“It should be noted that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services provide their investigators with no policies or mandated training on how to address medical child abuse,” the affidavit said.

Further procedures and eventual intervention

In December 2025, Laura sought additional treatment at Children’s Medical Center Dallas, allegedly continuing to falsify information about her son’s condition while requesting surgery to insert a gastrojejunostomy tube

A gastrojejunostomy tube, or GJ-tube, is similar to g-tube but extends from the stomach to the intestine to allow direct feed into the intestine, according to the Children’s National pediatric health system website.

The child underwent that procedure and was hospitalized from December 26, 2025, through January 9, 2026. He was readmitted to the hospital in February due to leaking of the GJ-tube and was admitted inpatient, the affidavit said.

During that stay, Laura allegedly discussed obtaining total parenteral nutrition (TPN) — intravenous feeding that requires placement of a central line — for her son. The affidavit states he showed no medical need for the intervention. That request prompted another CPS report, and the child was removed from his family’s care on February 14.

Since entering foster care, he has been eating normally and no longer requires a wheelchair. His foster mother, a nurse, reported that he “has no problems eating or drinking without any medical aid” and that she has not needed to use the feeding tube since his discharge, according to the affidavit.

Fundraising and family

Investigators also identified several GoFundMe campaigns in which Laura was asking for money due to her child’s purported medical condition. The descriptions provided by Laura in the fundraising pages were found to be inaccurate, according to the affidavit.

She claimed, among other things, that her son had experienced “heart codes” and had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy — assertions that a child abuse pediatrician at Children’s Medical Center Dallas disputed in the affidavit.

In an interview with investigators, Laura’s husband said he was unaware she had requested TPN for their son or that she had sought hospice care for him at some point in 2025. He “appeared shocked” upon learning this information.

He told investigators that Laura had previously worked in home health at a company specializing in patients with feeding tubes, giving her medical knowledge he did not possess. He said she had assumed full medical caregiving responsibility for their toddler while he cared for their two other children. The affidavit notes that the other children were not removed from the home.