Corie Walsh, 38, has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly hanging her 2-year-old son in the family’s basement and telling investigators she believed the child was the “anti-Christ” and “devil,” authorities said.
The boy, Barrett Walsh, who also went by “Bear,” was discovered Tuesday with his feet off the ground and a ligature around his neck, according to prosecutors. A neighbor found the toddler and immediately began administering CPR while calling 911, telling operators that Walsh herself had no pulse at the time.
Emergency responders pronounced Barrett dead at the Frankfort home. An autopsy confirmed he died of asphyxiation.
While the neighbor tried to save Barrett, Walsh was found lying fully clothed in a bathtub filled with bloody water, according to a court proffer. Police determined she had attempted to self-harm, and she was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Three other children in the home were found unharmed.
Walsh’s husband was out of town at the time of the alleged killing and flew home Tuesday evening.
While hospitalized, Walsh described to investigators how she allegedly killed Barrett, and her description matched evidence found at the scene, prosecutors said.
Hours before the tragedy, Walsh had been texting friends about the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, which had captivated her attention. The messages were sent around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, roughly three hours before Barrett was found, according to prosecutors.
Clancy, a Massachusetts mother and former nurse, used exercise bands to strangle her three children to death before attempting to kill herself. She has claimed she suffered from postpartum psychosis and was overprescribed psychiatric medications. At the time of Barrett’s death, the jury in Clancy’s trial was still deliberating, a parallel prosecutors have highlighted.
Walsh faces three counts of first-degree murder, according to court documents. Prosecutors are requesting that a judge deny her pretrial release.
Once medical staff clears her, Walsh will be transferred to the Will County Adult Detention Facility to await a detention hearing.