Corie Walsh, 40, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder after her two-year-old son, Barrett “Bear” Walsh, was found unresponsive in the basement of their home in Frankfort, Illinois.
Police were called to the property on Brook Stone Court shortly after 4pm on Tuesday following a 17-year-old neighbour’s emergency call. The teenager found the child in the basement and began performing CPR before officers arrived.
Barrett was taken to hospital but was later pronounced dead. The Will County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy indicated that he died from asphyxia, while the investigation into the circumstances remains ongoing.
Court documents allege that Walsh told investigators she had killed her son because he was “the devil and the anti-Christ”. Prosecutors also claim she had become heavily involved in discussions about the murder trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy in the hours before the incident.
Walsh was found upstairs in a bathtub with cuts to her wrists and thighs, according to the documents. She was taken to hospital for treatment and remains in custody; police said her injuries were not life-threatening.
Three other children were inside the home and were found unharmed, authorities said. Walsh’s husband was out of state when the incident occurred and returned after being alerted.
Her defence lawyer said Walsh had been experiencing “a psychotic episode at the time this happened”, adding that the family was mourning the loss of the child.
Walsh is due to be transferred to the Will County Adult Detention Facility once she is released from medical treatment. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8.
