An Illinois mother, Corie A. Walsh, has been charged with first-degree murder after police discovered her 2-year-old son, Barrett “Bear” Walsh, dead hanging in the basement of their home.
The Frankfort Police Department responded to a report of an unresponsive juvenile around 4 p.m. on September 1, finding the toddler who was later pronounced dead from asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck. Walsh, 40, was taken to Silver Cross Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and subsequently placed in the Will County Adult Detention Facility.
Court documents state that Walsh killed her son because she believed him to be “the devil” and “anti-Christ.” Her defense team, including Robert Kerr, claims she suffered from a brief psychotic disorder at the time of the incident: “She was severely mentally ill at the time of the incident and requires treatment.”
Prosecutors claim Walsh had expressed intent to harm her husband upon his return home and stated she would “poison him with a drink.” Additionally, Walsh’s defense attorneys note that she had been actively discussing the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder trial via text messages for several days prior to the incident.
Two of Walsh’s children returned home from school on September 1 to find the scene and called a neighbor for help. The neighbor reported discovering Walsh in a bathtub with bloody water, exhibiting signs of severe distress including dilated eyes and an unusual giggle. An 8-month-old infant was also found unsupervised on the floor of an upstairs room.
Walsh’s husband was out of state at the time of the incident. A judge ordered her detained due to the risk she posed to her remaining children and spouse. She is scheduled to appear in court on September 24.
Her defense team has requested inpatient medical care for their client, citing her mental health condition as a factor in the incident.
