TWO CHILDREN CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL AS THEIR LITTLE BROTHER WAS FOUND HANGING — NEW DETAILS EMERGE IN ILLINOIS CASE

Police say two school-aged children returned home around the time their 2-year-old brother was found unresponsive in the basement. Their mother is now facing three first-degree murder charges.

A deeply disturbing new detail has emerged in the case of a 2-year-old Illinois boy whose death has left investigators trying to reconstruct what happened inside his family home.

According to court documents reviewed by PEOPLE, two of Barrett Walsh’s school-aged siblings arrived home from school around the same time investigators say the toddler was found hanging in the basement of the family’s Frankfort home on Sept. 1.

Their mother, Corie Walsh, 40, has since been arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

Authorities say a fourth child — an infant — was also inside the home but was found unharmed.

The circumstances surrounding Barrett’s death remain under investigation, and the allegations against Walsh have not been proven in court.

THE DISCOVERY IN THE BASEMENT

Police were called to the Walsh family home after Barrett was found hanging from a rafter in the basement.

According to a pre-trial release denial petition reviewed by PEOPLE, a neighbor was already at the residence and attempting CPR when officers arrived.

The neighbor reportedly told investigators she found the toddler with a ligature around his neck and his feet off the ground.

The precise sequence of events — including what happened before the children arrived home and who was present when Barrett was discovered — is expected to become a major focus of the criminal case.

TWO CHILDREN WALKED INTO THE HOUSE

Perhaps one of the most haunting details revealed in the court documents is the timing.

Police say two of Barrett’s school-aged siblings came home from school around the time their younger brother was found.

That means the children returned to the family residence while emergency responders and others were dealing with the unfolding crisis.

Another of Walsh’s children, an infant, was also found inside the home and was unharmed, according to investigators.

Authorities have not publicly detailed everything those children witnessed or what they may have encountered when they arrived.

THE MOTHER WAS FOUND UPSTAIRS

While Barrett was being attended to downstairs, investigators say Walsh was found upstairs in a bathtub.

Police described the water as “bloodied,” according to the court filing.

Walsh was reportedly found fully clothed and authorities say they believed she was attempting to harm herself.

She was subsequently taken into custody as investigators began piecing together the circumstances surrounding Barrett’s death.

A CONNECTION TO THE LINDSAY CLANCY CASE

Another unexpected detail has drawn national attention to the investigation.

According to investigators, Walsh had been deeply following the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother whose case became one of the most closely watched criminal proceedings involving postpartum mental illness in recent years.

At the time Barrett died, Clancy’s trial was in the jury-deliberation stage.

Investigators say that only hours before Barrett was found, Walsh wrote in a group chat that she was “freaking out” and expressed a belief that Clancy’s husband had been responsible for the deaths of the children in that case.

Authorities said the comments appeared to echo conspiracy theories surrounding the Clancy case.

Clancy’s own attorney has previously described such claims as horrific and baseless.

The apparent connection does not establish that the Clancy case caused or motivated what happened in Illinois.

Instead, investigators have pointed to Walsh’s intense interest in the case as part of their broader effort to understand her mental state in the hours surrounding Barrett’s death.

DEFENSE SAYS SHE WAS SEVERELY MENTALLY ILL

Walsh’s attorney, Robert Kerr, told a judge that his client was suffering from a brief psychotic disorder and was severely mentally ill at the time of the incident.

Her attorney argued that she needs treatment.

Walsh is facing three first-degree murder charges, according to court records. As of Thursday, her online docket did not show plea information.

The charges are allegations, and Walsh remains entitled to a presumption of innocence unless and until proven guilty in court.

QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN

The case now raises a series of painful questions.

What happened inside the Walsh home before Barrett was discovered?

What did his siblings see when they returned from school?

What happened in the moments before the neighbor entered the basement?

And what role, if any, did Walsh’s deteriorating mental state play in the tragedy?

Investigators will now have to reconstruct those final moments through witness statements, physical evidence and court testimony.

For Barrett’s family and the children who came home that afternoon, however, the most devastating part may already be known.

A little boy was found in the basement. His siblings were coming home from school. And a family was suddenly facing a tragedy that would change their lives forever.