Mom ‘very invested’ in Lindsay Clancy case sent ominous texts before killing 2-year-old son
Warning: This article contains mentions of child death that some readers may find upsetting
An Illinois mother charged with killing her two-year-old son, who prosecutors say was 'very invested' in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, allegedly sent texts about the highly publicised case hours before his death.
Mother-of-four Corie Walsh, 40, had been following and ‘actively discussing’ the Clancy case, according to witness accounts and court documents cited by NBC Chicago and CNN.
On 1 September, Walsh’s two-year-old son Barrett was found dead in the basement by a neighbour, according to Frankfort police. Citing court documents, the outlets reported that his mother, Walsh, was found in another area of the residence with self-inflicted injuries.
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CPR was performed on the toddler by the neighbour, who called 911 just before 4pm. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead.
According to an autopsy by the Will County Coroner’s Office, Barratt died from asphyxia caused by ligature compression of the neck.
Walsh’s attorneys have said she was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of her son’s death, and according to prosecutors, she told police that she killed her son as she believed he was the 'devil' and the 'anti-Christ’.
Corie Walsh's alleged investment in the Lindsay Clancy trial before her son's death
According to the court documents, Walsh ‘had been actively discussing the Clancy case via group text message with her friends’ up until just hours before the tragedy.
As reported by PEOPLE Magazine, Walsh allegedly wrote in her group chat that she believed Clancy’s husband, Patrick, killed the couple’s three children, which is an untrue conspiracy theory without any evidence.
She allegedly wrote: “It was manslaughter, please help I’m really freaking out,” with members of the group chat describing the messages as ‘confusing’ and ‘out of character’.
A 'tragedy' for the Walsh family
Walsh, who is facing a first-degree murder charge, is next scheduled to appear in court on 24 September.
Walsh's attorney released a statement on Friday evening which read: "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 Corey 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."
Lindsay Clancy, 36, killed her three children, Callan, eight months, Cora, five, and Dawson, three, on 24 January 2023. Her defence denied murder by arguing she can't be held criminally responsible as she was allegedly suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time, while the prosecution argued that she acted 'intentionally, rationally and swiftly'.
Last week, the trial ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
The conspiracy theories about Patrick Clancy shut down by Lindsay's attorney
It comes after Lindsay Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington called the conspiracy theories surrounding Patrick ‘horrific’.
He said during an appearance on CBS Mornings: “It’s obvious that Patrick was a man who stood by his wife through all of the difficulty of the medical issues, the psychiatric issues, the pharmaceutical issues, and even up to the time of the trial and even after the trial.”
He reiterated: “As I’ve said before, I think it’s horrific what this man has been going through, and he’s entitled to move on with his life.
"The fact that he’s moved on with his life and still is standing by Lindsay as far as the legal issues tells the tale."
Topics: True Crime, Crime, US News, News
Madison Burgess