MOM ‘INVESTED’ IN LINDSAY CLANCY CASE HAD ‘WEIRD GIGGLE’ AFTER 2-YEAR-OLD SON WAS FOUND HANGING

Corie Walsh, 40, is accused of killing her young son as investigators say she had been intensely following the Lindsay Clancy case just hours earlier.

A disturbing new picture is emerging in the case of an Illinois mother accused of killing her 2-year-old son — including an unsettling reaction witnessed moments after the toddler was discovered.

Corie Walsh, 40, was found in an upstairs bathroom after her son Barrett “Bear” Walsh was discovered hanging from a rafter in the basement of the family’s Frankfort, Illinois, home on Sept. 1, according to police reports and court documents reviewed by PEOPLE.

A neighbor who arrived at the home told investigators she found Barrett and attempted to perform CPR on him.

The same neighbor said she found Walsh in the bathroom attempting to harm herself with a knife. The neighbor reportedly removed the knife before turning her attention back to the child.

But investigators say Walsh’s behavior was already raising concerns.

According to testimony reported by NBC Chicago, the neighbor described Walsh as having a “weird giggle” and noticeably dilated eyes.

Witnesses also described other behavior as being completely “out of character.”

HER CONNECTION TO THE LINDSAY CLANCY CASE

Perhaps one of the most striking details to emerge is Walsh’s apparent interest in the highly publicized case of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother whose trial ended in a mistrial last week.

Clancy has been accused of killing her three children in 2023. Her defense argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible.

According to witnesses, Walsh had been deeply following the Clancy case.

Just hours before Barrett’s death, she allegedly sent confusing messages in a group chat while discussing the trial.

In one message, Walsh allegedly suggested that Clancy’s husband was responsible for the children’s deaths, apparently referring to a conspiracy theory that had circulated during the trial and was subsequently debunked.

She also allegedly wrote: “It was manslaughter, please help I’m really freaking out.”

Barrett’s death occurred while jurors in the Clancy case were still deliberating.

WHAT WALSH ALLEGEDLY TOLD POLICE

More disturbing details emerged in a separate court filing.

Prosecutors allege Walsh told investigators that she had harmed Barrett because she believed the little boy was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ.”

The filing also alleges that Walsh made statements about harming her other children and intended to harm her husband when he returned home.

Prosecutors further alleged that she discussed poisoning her husband with a drink.

Three of Walsh’s other children were unharmed, including an infant who was inside the home at the time. Her two school-age children later returned home while the emergency response was unfolding.

HER LAWYER CLAIMS SHE WAS IN PSYCHOSIS

Walsh’s attorney, Robert Kerr, told a judge that his client was “severely mentally ill” and experiencing a “brief psychotic disorder” when Barrett died.

That claim could become a central issue as the case moves forward.

However, Walsh has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, according to online court records. No plea information was listed as of Sept. 11.

Her next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 24.

The case remains ongoing, and the allegations against Walsh have not been proven in court.