“IT WAS MANSLAUGHTER — PLEASE HELP” — MOM INVESTED IN LINDSAY CLANCY CASE SENT OMINOUS TEXTS BEFORE HER TODDLER’S DEATH

AN ILLINOIS MOTHER ACCUSED OF KILLING HER 2-YEAR-OLD SON HAD BEEN DISCUSSING THE LINDSAY CLANCY CASE JUST HOURS EARLIER — HER LAWYER SAYS SHE WAS EXPERIENCING PSYCHOSIS

A disturbing new detail has emerged in the case of an Illinois mother accused of killing her 2-year-old son: investigators say she had been intensely discussing the Lindsay Clancy case shortly before her own family tragedy unfolded.

Corie Walsh, 40, of Frankfort, Illinois, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the death of her son, Barrett Walsh.

According to court records and reports cited by PEOPLE, Walsh’s attorney told a judge that she was experiencing a severe mental-health episode at the time of the incident and has since been diagnosed with brief psychotic disorder.

SHE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT LINDSAY CLANCY

The connection to Clancy emerged through accounts from people who had been communicating with Walsh.

Witnesses told investigators that Walsh had been “actively discussing” the highly publicized Massachusetts case involving Clancy just hours before Barrett was found.

Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, was accused of killing her three children in January 2023. Her defense has argued that she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible.

That case recently ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict.

Walsh allegedly became increasingly focused on the case and began sending confusing messages to a group chat.

At one point, she reportedly claimed that Lindsay Clancy’s husband, Patrick Clancy, had killed the couple’s children — a theory for which there is no evidence.

She allegedly wrote:

“It was manslaughter, please help I’m really freaking out.”

Friends reportedly described the messages as confusing and completely out of character.

A DISTURBING TURN OF EVENTS

The messages were sent only hours before Barrett’s death, according to accounts presented in court.

Prosecutors allege that Walsh later told authorities she harmed her son because she believed he was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ.”

Prosecutors also said she allegedly made statements about poisoning her husband.

Those allegations remain part of the criminal case against her.

Walsh’s two older children reportedly returned home and discovered what was happening.

They then ran to a neighbor for help.

According to court documents cited by CNN, the neighbor entered the basement and found Barrett hanging from a rafter with a ligature around his neck. The neighbor pulled the child down and attempted to help him.

HER MOTHER WAS FOUND IN THE BATHTUB

Walsh was reportedly discovered shortly afterward in a bloodied bathtub in what authorities described as an apparent attempt to harm herself.

The neighbor who found her reportedly told investigators that Walsh’s eyes were dilated and that she displayed a “weird giggle” — behavior the witness considered highly unusual.

Friends similarly described her behavior as completely unlike the person they knew.

Her attorney, Robert Kerr, told the court that Walsh had been “severely mentally ill” at the time of the alleged killing.

At a Sept. 9 hearing, Kerr reportedly said Walsh had been diagnosed with brief psychotic disorder and needed psychiatric treatment.

WHY THE LINDSAY CLANCY CASE MATTERS

The apparent connection between Walsh’s messages and the Clancy case has drawn attention because both cases involve mothers, children and questions surrounding psychosis.

But the circumstances are legally and factually distinct.

Clancy’s defense has argued that postpartum psychosis left her unable to understand or control her actions. Walsh’s attorney is separately raising mental illness as an issue in her own criminal case.

The fact that Walsh had been discussing Clancy does not establish that the earlier case caused or directly influenced what prosecutors allege happened in Illinois.

It does, however, provide investigators and the court with another piece of evidence about Walsh’s state of mind in the hours leading up to Barrett’s death.

THREE FIRST-DEGREE MURDER COUNTS

Walsh has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, according to Frankfort police.

It was not immediately clear from the PEOPLE report whether she had entered pleas to the charges.

The case is expected to focus heavily on Walsh’s mental state, including the diagnosis her attorney has disclosed and whether prosecutors can establish the legal requirements for the charges.

For now, the allegations remain allegations, and Walsh is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Meanwhile, the disturbing messages sent just hours before Barrett’s death have raised a question investigators will likely continue examining:

What was happening inside Corie Walsh’s mind during those final hours — and how much did anyone around her realize about the crisis she was experiencing?