Illinois mother accused of murdering two-year-old son
Prosecutors in Illinois are examining whether a suburban Chicago child murder case could have a disturbing connection to the widely watched trial of Lindsay Clancy. Corie Walsh is accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Barrett, at their home in Frankfort, Illinois. Senior correspondent Mike Tobin reported on the allegations and the statements Walsh is said to have made during the police investigation.
Walsh, 40, had reportedly become fixated on the Lindsay Clancy case before allegedly killing her young son. During questioning by investigators, she allegedly sang a song from the classic film “The Wizard of Oz,” according to reports.
Court documents obtained by The Sun state that Walsh told officers she believed Barrett was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ.” She then allegedly sang “Follow the Yellow Brick Road,” a well-known number from “The Wizard of Oz.”
She faces three counts of first-degree murder in connection with Barrett Walsh’s death. The 2-year-old was found unresponsive, hanging from a rafter in the basement of the family’s suburban Chicago residence.
A family photograph shows Corie Walsh, left, alongside her booking photo following her arrest on first-degree murder charges in Will County, Illinois. Authorities say Walsh sang a version of “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” from “The Wizard of Oz” while speaking with police. (Facebook/Corie Walsh;Will County Detention Facility)
Barrett’s two siblings reportedly found him on Sept. 1 after arriving home from school. Officers who responded to the home found a neighbor attempting CPR on the boy.
As detectives interviewed Walsh, she allegedly launched into a rambling outburst and sang her own rendition of “Follow the Yellow Brick Road,” according to reports.
Corie Walsh is pictured at top left with her husband and children, all dressed in matching holiday pajamas while sitting on a couch. (Facebook/ Corie Walsh)
Walsh’s attorney, Andrea Lyon, said her client was experiencing psychosis and dismissed claims that Walsh’s interest in the Clancy case was linked to the alleged killing.
“She was psychotic. And this is not a first-degree murder,” Lyon told reporters.
Before the killing, Walsh had become “very invested” in the Clancy murder trial, which involved the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children.
Lindsay Clancy looks on as jurors enter the courtroom during Clancy’s murder trial at the Plymouth County Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Sept. 4, 2026. (Greg Derr/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
She had discussed the case in text messages with her friends as recently as the morning she allegedly killed her son.