An Illinois mother, Corie Walsh, 40, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old son, Barrett, who was found deceased in their Frankfort home on Tuesday. Walsh's attorney, Andrea Lyon, stated that her client was experiencing a "psychotic episode" at the time of the incident.
According to court documents, Walsh was reportedly discussing the ongoing trial of Lindsay Clancy in a group chat hours before her son's death. Prosecutors allege that Walsh told police she killed her son because he was "the devil" and "the Antichrist."
Authorities responded to the Walsh residence after a neighbor found the toddler in the front yard performing CPR. The child was pronounced dead at the scene, with the cause of death determined to be "asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck."
Walsh was found by the neighbor upstairs in a bathtub, fully clothed and surrounded by bloody water. Documents indicate she had harmed herself with a knife in an alleged suicide attempt, and a neighbor applied a towel to her leg. Walsh was subsequently transported to a hospital, where officials say she admitted to killing her son.
Walsh's husband was out of state at the time of the incident. Officers found another infant unharmed in the home, and two school-aged children returned to the residence later. Walsh was booked into the Will County Adult Detention Facility and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
The case has drawn comparisons to that of Lindsay Clancy, whose murder trial for the deaths of her three young children collapsed on Friday due to a hung jury, resulting in a mistrial. Neighbors have noted the eerie similarities between the two cases, expressing shock and concern within their community.