Family Remembers Toddler Allegedly Killed by Mother Obsessed with Lindsay Clancy Case
An obituary described the two-year-old as 'joyful, funny, entertaining, rambunctious' as his mother faces first-degree murder charges.
Barrett Mark Walsh's family penned a heartbreaking tribute to the two-year-old boy, remembering him as a "joyful, funny, entertaining, rambunctious" child. The obituary, published Wednesday, described Barrett, known affectionately as "Bear," as a "cherished little brother" to his older siblings and a "caring big brother" to a baby boy. The family noted his love for singing and dancing to children's songs, learning colors, playing soccer, and "doing the good-bye dance with joyous perfection."
"Bear will forever be missed by all who knew him, especially the way his smiling face would light up a room and fill it with joy, wonder and awe," the tribute states.
Barrett was found on September 1 in their Frankfort, Illinois, home with a rope around his neck. His mother, Corie Walsh, 40, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Authorities found Walsh in a bloodied bathtub attempting to harm herself with a kitchen knife, according to a pre-trial release denial petition.
Walsh's attorneys argued at her detention hearing that she was experiencing a "psychotic episode" at the time of her son's death, describing her as having "fixed, dilated eyes" and emitting a "weird giggle." They stated she was unaware of her actions and provided conflicting accounts to investigators.
According to court records citing the boy's autopsy, Barrett died of "asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck." The neighbor who discovered Walsh attempting self-harm had also tried to perform CPR on Barrett, but the child had no pulse and was cold to the touch. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Prosecutors noted Walsh's investment in the Lindsay Clancy case. The New York Post reported that Walsh had been texting friends in a group chat about the jury deliberations in the Clancy trial hours before her son's alleged murder. These texts were described as "confusing" and "out of character," and appeared to indicate Walsh believed Clancy's husband, rather than Clancy herself, was responsible for the deaths of their children. Walsh's defense attorneys have rejected suggestions that she was a "copycat" of Clancy.