The Oyler Griffin

FRANKFORT, IL — Corie Walsh, 40, is accused of murdering her 2-year-old son, Barrett Walsh, after authorities say a neighbor found the child in the basement of a Frankfort home and called 911. Prosecutors say Walsh was upstairs when officers arrived on Sept. 1 and that she also tried to take her own life.

According to a court filing, the neighbor was performing CPR on the boy when police got there. Another infant was in the home at the time and was not hurt. Walsh has been charged with murder, and prosecutors are asking that she remain detained while the case moves forward.

The case drew attention in part because investigators say Walsh had been actively discussing the Lindsay Clancy trial in text messages in the hours before the child was found. Clancy’s Massachusetts trial ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a verdict.

Neighbor’s 911 call and what police say they found inside the home

Police responding to the Frankfort house on the afternoon of Sept. 1 say a neighbor had already found Barrett in the basement and was trying to revive him. The filing says the neighbor called 911 after finding the toddler and began CPR before officers arrived.

The same document says Walsh was located upstairs. Investigators allege she made disturbing statements about the child after officers reached the home, including that she had done this because he was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ.” Those comments are part of the court record prosecutors are using to support detention.

The filing also says the neighbor told officers she had seen Walsh “actively harming herself” and took a knife away from her, throwing it into the sink. According to the neighbor’s account, Walsh said she was trying to kill herself.

Prosecutors link Walsh’s behavior to her interest in the Lindsay Clancy case

Prosecutors say witnesses told investigators Walsh had recently become “very invested” in the Lindsay Clancy trial. Court papers say she was discussing the case in group text messages up until 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 1, about three and a half hours before the child was discovered.

Clancy’s case had already attracted national attention because her defense team argued she suffered from postpartum psychosis when she killed her three children in January 2023 and tried to take her own life. Prosecutors in that case said Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths.

Walsh’s alleged focus on the trial is part of the prosecution’s argument that she was in a troubled mental state before her son’s death. The detention petition says her discussions of Clancy were recent and active, not casual or occasional.

State asks that Walsh stay jailed before trial

In the petition to deny pre-trial release, prosecutors say Walsh made statements about harming her other three children and intended to hurt her husband when he returned home. He was out of state during the alleged crime, according to the filing.

That request means prosecutors want Walsh held in custody while the case proceeds, rather than released before trial. The filing presents the allegations as evidence that she may pose a danger if not detained.

Walsh’s attorney, Andrea Lyon, gave ABC News a different account of her client’s condition. Lyon said Walsh was suffering from a psychotic episode at the time and described the case as a tragedy for the family.

Medical treatment and the next court date in the Illinois case

After the arrest, Walsh was treated at Silver Cross Hospital, according to the court document. She was still there as of Sept. 3, the filing said.

Detention center data shows her next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. That hearing is expected to address the early stages of the criminal case, including whether she remains detained pending trial.

For now, the charges are allegations, and the case will continue through the Illinois court system. Prosecutors have laid out their version in the detention petition, while Walsh’s defense is framing the incident as the result of a psychiatric crisis.

How the Clancy mistrial put maternal mental health back in the spotlight

The Walsh case emerged just as the Massachusetts trial of Lindsay Clancy was ending in a mistrial on Sept. 4. Jurors had deliberated for more than a week before failing to reach a verdict.

That case had already become a national talking point because it centered on maternal mental health and the legal responsibility of a mother accused of killing her children. Walsh’s alleged discussion of the trial ties the two stories together in a way prosecutors say is important to understanding her state of mind.

Even so, the Illinois case stands on its own. Authorities in Frankfort are focused on the death of Barrett Walsh, the surviving child who was unharmed, and the allegations that led to Corie Walsh’s murder charge.