Prosecutors say Corie Walsh had closely followed the Lindsay Clancy murder trial and discussed it with friends hours before her son died.
FRANKFORT, IL — An Illinois mother accused of killing her 2-year-old son told police she believed the child was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ,” prosecutors allege in court documents that also describe her intense interest in the nationally watched Lindsay Clancy murder trial.
Corie A. Walsh faces three counts of first-degree murder in the death of her son, Barrett Walsh, who was known as “Bear,” according to police and court records. Frankfort police responded shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, to a home on Brook Stone Court after receiving a report of an injured or unresponsive child. A neighbor was attempting CPR when officers arrived. Barrett was later pronounced dead, and preliminary autopsy findings cited asphyxia from compression of the neck, according to prosecutors.
The filing seeking to keep Walsh in custody before trial says witnesses told investigators that she had recently become heavily interested in the murder case against Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother charged in the 2023 deaths of her three young children. Prosecutors said Walsh was discussing the Clancy case in a group text with friends until about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, roughly three and a half hours before authorities were called to her Frankfort home. The filing does not establish that the Clancy case caused Barrett’s death, and prosecutors have not publicly identified a broader motive beyond statements they attribute to Walsh.
According to the prosecution filing, the neighbor who found Barrett had first encountered Walsh in an upstairs bathroom after Walsh had injured herself. The neighbor took a knife away from her, the filing says, and Walsh then told the neighbor that “Bear” was in the basement. Officers subsequently found the child and emergency efforts continued. Walsh was taken for medical treatment with injuries that police described as not life-threatening.
Prosecutors allege Walsh made statements to responding officers indicating that she had killed Barrett because she believed he was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ.” Investigators later spoke with Walsh while she was hospitalized, and prosecutors said she described what she had done in a way they contend was consistent with evidence collected at the home. Those statements are allegations contained in the state’s account of the case and have not been tested at trial.
Three other children connected to the household were physically unharmed, according to the court filing. Prosecutors said an infant was inside the home during the incident, while two school-age children returned around the time Barrett was discovered. Walsh’s husband was out of state and returned after learning what had happened. In asking that Walsh be denied pretrial release, prosecutors also cited alleged statements concerning possible harm to other members of her family.
Walsh’s reported focus on the Clancy proceedings came as that Massachusetts case was nearing a dramatic conclusion. Clancy, a former nurse, was charged with killing her three children in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023. Her attorneys argued she was not criminally responsible because she was experiencing severe mental illness, while prosecutors argued that her actions were deliberate. On Friday, Sept. 4, a judge declared a mistrial after jurors said they could not reach a unanimous verdict. The Clancy proceeding had drawn extensive national attention and had been livestreamed during the weeks before the Illinois killing.
Court records cited by local and national news organizations say the three first-degree murder counts against Walsh reflect separate legal theories under Illinois law rather than allegations that three people were killed. Barrett is the sole homicide victim identified in the case. Prosecutors allege Walsh intended to kill the child, knew her conduct would cause his death or knew it created a strong probability of death. Walsh is presumed innocent unless proved guilty in court.
Investigators also recovered Walsh’s cellphone from the home and were conducting a forensic examination, according to prosecutors. Authorities have not publicly released the results of that analysis. The prosecution filing relies in part on witness accounts and messages that investigators say establish Walsh was discussing the Clancy case shortly before Barrett was found, but the precise significance of that interest to the criminal case remains an issue for investigators and the courts.
Walsh remained in custody as the case moved toward its first court proceedings. Reports citing court records said she was expected to appear before Will County Judge Amy Bertani Tomczak on Sept. 8. Prosecutors are seeking to keep her detained before trial. No plea has been reported, and the allegations against Walsh remain unresolved.
Author note: Last updated September 5, 2026.