Editor's Note: This story contains graphic and disturbing details.
Corie Walsh, 40, of Frankfort, Illinois, has been charged with first-degree murder after prosecutors allege she fatally strangled her 2-year-old son, Barrett Walsh, according to a complaint obtained by local media and public records.
Prosecutors say witnesses told investigators Walsh had been actively following and discussing the nationally publicized trial of Lindsay Clancy in a group text conversation up until about 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Several hours later, Frankfort police responded at roughly 4 p.m. to a report of an unresponsive toddler; the child was later pronounced dead at a New Lenox hospital.
According to court documents, a neighbor who entered the home found the toddler hanging from a basement rafter with a ligature around his neck. The neighbor removed the ligature, lowered the child to the floor, began CPR and called 911. First responders arrived and continued resuscitative efforts, but the child was pronounced dead at the hospital later that afternoon.
Preliminary autopsy results from the Will County Coroner's Office indicate Barrett's death was due to asphyxia from ligature compression of the neck; final cause and manner of death are pending completion of the full autopsy and toxicology reports.
When officers arrived at the residence, they found Walsh in an upstairs bathroom with non-life-threatening injuries, including cuts to her wrists and thighs, and a neighbor holding a towel to her leg. Court filings state the neighbor took a knife from Walsh and threw it into the sink. Walsh was reportedly attempting to harm herself and, when confronted by officers, allegedly said she had killed her son because he was the "devil" and the "anti-Christ."
Lindsay Clancy watches jurors enter the courtroom on the eight day of deliberations during her trial on September 4. - Greg Derr/Pool/The Patriot Ledger
Walsh was hospitalized and later taken into custody following an investigation by the Frankfort Police Department and the Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force. She is being held at the Will County Adult Detention Facility pending a detention hearing. Prosecutors have asked that she be denied pretrial release, alleging she made statements about harming other children and intending to harm her husband when he returned home.
Court documents say Walsh described to officers how she killed Barrett, and investigators state her account was consistent with the physical evidence. Walsh's phone was recovered from the bathroom and is undergoing forensic analysis; authorities also seized the knife as evidence.
Walsh's attorney, Andrea Lyon, told CNN that her client was experiencing a mental health crisis. "This is a tragedy for the Walsh family," Lyon said. "It is also a tragedy in that [Corie] herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened. It is our hope that a thorough presentation and investigation of the facts will clarify this heartbreak."
Police said three other children in the home — including a baby and two school-aged children who returned home near the time of the incident — were unharmed. The Illinois Department of Child and Family Services reported it had no prior record of contact with the family.
The alleged killing comes as the Lindsay Clancy trial — which drew national attention and sparked debate about postpartum mental illness — ended in a mistrial after jurors remained deadlocked. In that case, prosecutors alleged intentional murder while the defense cited postpartum psychosis as a basis to challenge criminal responsibility.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support the surviving children and the family with immediate needs such as groceries, childcare and routine activities during this transition.
Resources: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental-health issues, help is available. In the U.S., call or text 988. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide provide listings of crisis centers internationally.
