A stationary ambulance. (heathernemec / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin September 5, 2026 at 12:34pm
The mother in Frankfort, Illinois, accused of murdering her 2-year-old was reportedly highly interested in the case of Lindsay Clancy, who was on trial for killing her three children.
Barrett Walsh, the 2-year-old son of Corie Walsh, was found on Tuesday hanging from a rafter in the basement of their home, while Walsh was found in the bathtub amid an apparent suicide attempt, per a report from NBC News.
Prosecutors said that Walsh, 40, had “recently become very invested in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial.”
Walsh was “actively discussing the case” in text messages with her friends until early Tuesday afternoon — mere hours before the 2-year-old boy was discovered.
A neighbor who called 911 was found performing CPR on Barrett’s body when police arrived around 4 p.m. that day.
The child was already cold and had no pulse.
“She removed the ligature, lowered the child to the ground, and attempted CPR while calling 911. According to the neighbor, Barrett was cold and had no pulse,” prosecutors said, per a report from WMAQ-TV.
Walsh was found in the bathtub, fully dressed and with cuts to her thighs and wrists.
She was then hospitalized with injuries not considered life-threatening.
Walsh told police that “she did this to her baby because he was the ‘devil’ and the ‘anti-Christ,’” according to prosecutors.
The mother reportedly told her neighbor that “Bear” — the nickname for Barrett — was “in the basement.”
NBC News reported that Walsh’s husband was out of town at the time of the alleged murder.
An infant was home and was found unharmed, while two school-aged children returned home around the time Barrett was found.
WMAQ-TV reported that Barrett ultimately died in the hospital.
The autopsy found that he perished from “asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck.”
An attorney for Walsh issued a statement calling the murder “a tragedy, for the Walsh family all of whom are mourning the loss of this child.”
“It is also a tragedy in that Corey herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened,” the statement added.
“It is our hope that through a thorough presentation and investigation of the facts, that all of us will come to see this heartbreak for what it is.”
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Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
