Mother accused of killing 2-year-old son, days after closely following Lindsay Clancy trial

A mother in Illinois who had been closely following the high-profile trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy is accused of killing her own 2-year-old son before attempting to take her own life.

According to court records obtained by ABC 7 Chicago, 40-year-old Corie Walsh allegedly killed her son, Barrett, at their home in Frankfort, Illinois, on September 1, 2026.

Prosecutors said Walsh had been discussing the Clancy case with friends in a group chat just hours before police were called to her home.

“The defendant had been actively discussing the case via group text message with her friends up until 12:30 PM on September 1, 2026, three and a half hours before the scene was discovered,” a court document stated.

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A neighbor reportedly found the boy in the basement and called 911 before attempting to help him. The neighbor then went upstairs and took a knife away from Walsh after allegedly finding her attempting to harm herself.

Another child in the home was not injured.

Police said Walsh made disturbing statements following the incident, allegedly referring to her son as the “anti-Christ” and the “devil.”

Prosecutors have asked the judge to keep Walsh in custody until trial, arguing that she poses a danger to others. They also alleged that she had spoken about harming her husband and her other three children. Her husband was reportedly out of town when the incident occurred.

Walsh’s attorney, Andrea Lyon, said her client was experiencing a severe mental health crisis at the time of the incident.

“This is a tragedy for the Walsh family, all of whom are mourning the loss of this child. It is also a tragedy in that Corie herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened. 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,” Lyon told the outlet in a statement.

The case has drawn comparisons to that of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children. Clancy’s trial ended in a mistrial on September 4 after jurors failed to reach a verdict. Her lawyers had argued that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings.

Walsh was taken to a local hospital for treatment following the incident and is scheduled to appear in court on September 8