Andrea Yates confessed in June 2001 to drowning her five children in Clear Lake, Texas. Convicted of capital murder in 2002, her original verdict was overturned and she was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2006; she has been held at a Kerrville mental facility since 2007. Her ex‑husband Rusty, divorced in 2005 and now a NASA engineer, visits roughly once a year and keeps in touch because they alone share memories of family life. Rusty describes their contact as bittersweet and says Andrea remains deeply stuck in guilt while she watches old family videos and photos.
Why Andrea Yates’ Ex‑Husband Still Visits Her Nearly 25 Years After the Tragic Deaths of Their Children
Investigation Discovery; Pam Francis/GettyRusty Yates; Rusty Yates and Andrea Yates with their children in family photo
On June 20, 2001, Andrea Yates called 911 and confessed that she had drowned her five children in the bathtub of the family home in Clear Lake, a suburb of Houston, Texas. The case shocked the nation and ignited a prolonged conversation about mental illness, motherhood and criminal responsibility.
STEVE UECKERT/AFP via GettyAndrea Pia Yates is escorted into court on 22 June, 2001 in Houston, TX.
Andrea’s children were Noah (7), John (5), Paul (3), Luke (2) and Mary (6 months). In March 2002 she was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. That verdict was later overturned, and in July 2006 a jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity.
Brett Coomer-Pool/GettyAndrea Yates enters the courtroom to hear the verdict in her retrial on July 26, 2006 in Houston, Texas.
Medical and Legal Background
Andrea’s defense argued she suffered from severe postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. Attorneys cited the recent withdrawal of the antipsychotic medication Haldol in the weeks before the killings as a factor in her deteriorating mental state. Following the insanity verdict, Andrea has been held at a state mental health facility in Kerrville, Texas, since 2007. Although she is eligible for an annual review to assess competency for release, reporting indicates she has waived that review each year.
Pam Francis/GettyRusty Yates on January 5, 2002 in Houston, TX.
Why Rusty Keeps Visiting
Rusty Yates, Andrea’s ex‑husband, told PEOPLE he still visits Andrea in person roughly once a year and that they keep in touch by text and phone. Divorced in 2005, Rusty—now 61 and a computer engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center—says the visits are "bittersweet." He and Andrea are the only two people who can fully remember those family years and the ordinary joys of parenting they shared.
Getty Andrea and Rusty Yates with children
“Andrea and I always got along. That's a time of our life that we both cherish and she's the only person I can talk to about it,” Rusty said.
Rusty describes Andrea as having fully embraced motherhood. He says she spends much of her time watching old family videos and looking through photographs, and that she struggles deeply with guilt and forgiveness. He explained that, raised in a strict Catholic tradition, Andrea has had a particularly hard time forgiving herself for what happened.
Personal History
Rusty recalled meeting Andrea in the late 1980s in the same Houston apartment complex; they married in 1993 and built a family together. Rusty has described fatherhood as his favorite role in life. He later remarried, and he is the father of a teenage son from a second marriage.
Rusty also participated in Investigation Discovery’s program The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story, which premiered Jan. 6 and is available to stream on HBO Max.
Sensitivity and Resources
This story involves severe mental illness and a devastating family tragedy. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of harming themselves or others, or is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available 24/7. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.
Note: This article preserves factual details from court records and published interviews while aiming to present the subject with sensitivity to victims, survivors and those affected by serious mental illness.
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