The Oyler Griffin

FRANKFORT, IL — A Frankfort mother has been charged with murdering her 2-year-old son after police say the child was found in a home on Brook Stone Court and later died at a hospital. Corie Walsh, 38, faces three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the boy’s death.

Frankfort police said officers were called to the 22700 block of Brook Stone Court around 4 p.m. Tuesday after a 17-year-old neighbor dialed 911 for help. When officers arrived, they found the teenager giving the child CPR. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Walsh was in custody and receiving medical treatment before being transferred Friday afternoon to the Will County Adult Detention Facility ahead of her detention hearing.

Teen neighbor’s 911 call led officers to the home

Police said the emergency began when the teenage neighbor discovered the child and called for assistance. The boy was found in the home before officers arrived, and the neighbor was already trying to revive him with CPR.

Investigators have not described the relationship between the neighbor and the family, but the call set off a fast response from Frankfort police. The child was rushed to a hospital, yet doctors were unable to save him.

Court records say the boy died from asphyxia. Those records also say the discovery was made inside the basement of the home, where the child was found hanging from a device attached to a rafter.

Court records describe injuries and other children in the house

The court documents include disturbing details about what police found inside the home. According to those records, Walsh was discovered upstairs in a bathtub in a pool of blood with cuts to her wrists and thighs.

Officials also said one infant was present in the home at the time and was not hurt. Two other children returned from school around the time officers were on scene, and their father was out of state when the incident happened.

Authorities have not said whether the children were taken into protective custody. The Illinois Department of Child and Family Services said it had not had prior contact with the family before Tuesday and is now involved in the investigation.

Prosecutors say Walsh made statements about the child

According to court records, Walsh told officers, “she did this to her baby because he was a ‘devil’ and the ‘anti-Christ,’” and she also gave details of how she killed her son. Prosecutors say those statements are part of the case they plan to present against her.

Authorities have charged Walsh with three counts of first-degree murder and say she remains in custody in Will County. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Walsh’s attorney has said in a statement that she was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time. The defense has not yet laid out a full response in court, and prosecutors have said they believe the killing was planned.

Investigation linked to public interest in another murder trial

Prosecutors also say Walsh had become deeply focused on the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, a case that drew national attention. They say she was in a group text discussing that case just hours before her son was killed, while jurors were still deliberating.

The Clancy trial ended Friday after a judge declared a mistrial when jurors could not reach a verdict. Legal analyst Irv Miller said the messages could become a major piece of evidence for prosecutors in Will County.

Miller said jurors would need to hear the evidence carefully so they do not use the Clancy case for or against Walsh. Prosecutors, he said, are expected to highlight the messages early and return to them again in closing arguments.

Next steps in the Will County case

Walsh’s transfer to the Will County Adult Detention Facility marks the next step in a case that is likely to move quickly in the coming days. Her detention hearing will help determine the conditions of her custody while the murder charges proceed.

For now, police and prosecutors are still piecing together the timeline inside the house, including what happened before the neighbor made the 911 call and what role, if any, the other family members may have had in the hours around the boy’s death.

The case has already drawn intense scrutiny because of the allegations in the court records and the unusual link prosecutors say Walsh had to another high-profile murder trial. Investigators have not released any additional public explanation for the child’s death beyond the statements in the charging documents.