Florida mom faces another child abuse charge in second arrest in 5 months: Records

Child nearly drowns during unsupervised visit with mom

A Brevard County mother is back behind bars after a near-fatal drowning involving her toddler. The incident raises questions about how she was granted unsupervised access to her children while still facing felony charges for a previous child abuse case. A judge, DCF and case manager all agreed the mother could have unsupervised access with her children.

A Florida mom under suspicion of criminal child abuse has been arrested again after one of her children nearly drowned in their backyard pool, according to a recent arrest affidavit, prompting questions about how she gained unsupervised access to her children again.

The backstory:

Laura Forczyk and her husband, Nathan Forczyk, were arrested in September 2025 by the Palm Bay Police Department on a half-dozen counts of child abuse. Police alleged that the children were living in "deplorable" conditions, including being locked in bedrooms without food, water, or access to the bathroom.

Police said each of the children were confined to different rooms and that each one contained a small child-sized training toilet. Officers said the home smelled like urine and feces and that large sections of drywall were missing, exposing the electrical wiring underneath, according to the September arrest report.

The children were removed from the home and Laura was issued a "no contact" order, preventing her from seeing her children as the criminal case moved through the court system. 

Affidavit: Mom arrested after child nearly drowned in backyard pool

Laura was arrested on Feb. 20, 2026 on a charge of aggravated child abuse – five months after her previous arrest.

According to the arrest report, Laura's 16-month-old child was found with their eyes rolled back and struggling to breathe after a near-drowning in the backyard pool. The toddler had to be airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.

Records show that a judge granted Laura a bond modification that allowed her to have unsupervised access to her children. This effectively removed the no-contact provision issued from the earlier case.

Why?

FOX 35 reached out to the State Attorney's Office, who said the decision was not made lightly. The defense counsel, a Dependency Court judge, the Guardian Ad Litem, and a Department of Children and Families (DCF) case manager all reportedly supported the return to unsupervised contact.

DCF did not respond to FOX 35's request for comment.

What they're saying:

Local criminal defense attorney Geoff Golub, who is not affiliated with the case, expressed surprise at the speed of the transition.

"I did think it was kind of quick for DCF to let unsupervised [contact] go so quickly," Golub told FOX 35. "DCF at this point [is likely saying], 'Well, maybe we were wrong about this.'"

Golub also noted the goal of the system is often to keep families together.

"You can’t predict also what’s going to happen, unfortunately," Golub said.