A mother in Illinois is facing first-degree murder charges after authorities say she allegedly hanged her 2-year-old son—just hours after texting friends about the Lindsay Clancy case.
Corie Walsh, 38, reportedly told investigators she believed her toddler, Barrett—nicknamed “Bear”—was the “anti-Christ” and the “devil,” according to court documents obtained by local media.
A neighbor discovered the little boy hanging from the rafters in the family’s basement, with his feet off the ground and a ligature around his neck, authorities said. The neighbor called 911 and began CPR, but Barrett was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later confirmed asphyxiation as the cause of death.
Walsh was found fully clothed in a bathtub, lying in bloody water, according to reports. Police determined she had attempted to harm herself, and she was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Three other children inside the Frankfort home were unharmed. Walsh’s husband was out of town at the time and flew back Tuesday evening.
Prosecutors noted that Walsh had been following the Lindsay Clancy trial closely. Clancy is the Massachusetts mother who strangled her three children during an alleged postpartum psychosis episode. Walsh reportedly texted friends about the case at 12:30 p.
m. on Tuesday—just three hours before Barrett was found dead.
Walsh faces three counts of first-degree murder. Once cleared by medical staff, she will be transferred to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, where prosecutors are asking a judge to deny pretrial release.
As the community reels from this tragedy, one haunting question lingers: what could drive a mother to such a devastating act?
