Barrett Walsh was found hanging in the basement of his family’s home in September

NEED TO KNOW

• Corie Walsh, 40, has been charged with three counts of murder following the death of her son Barrett Walsh
• Barrett died from asphyxia “due to ligature compression of the neck,” police previously said
• Corie had allegedly told police she wanted to harm her husband and three other children, including her infant

An Illinois mom of four remains unwell in jail with an “overwhelming” psychosis condition nearly two months after she was arrested in connection with the hanging death of her toddler, according to her lawyers.

The child, 2-year-old Barrett Walsh, was found hanging in the basement of his family’s Frankfort, Ill. home on Sept. 1 after his two elder siblings came home to a chaotic scene.

Their mother, 40-year-old Corie Walsh, was found in a bathtub “surrounded by bloody water” where she was “actively harming herself” with a knife, police said in court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Corie’s lawyers have since argued she was experiencing a “brief psychotic disorder” at the time of the killing, NBC Chicago reported in September.

Following a court appearance on Monday, Oct. 27, her lawyers reiterated their claim that Corie is unwell as she remains in jail, the outlet reported.

Her attorney Robert Kerr said her ongoing psychotic condition is “pretty overwhelming.”

“Psychosis is not a choice,” Andrea Lyon said during a press conference following a discovery status hearing.

“We are committed with our head, our heart, and hard work, to represent her to the best of our ability so that everyone can understand what happened here,” she said, adding that her team is also “learning everything [they] can about her psychosis.”

The toddler’s tragic killing occurred on the heels of the high-profile trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mom accused of killing her three children in 2023. The trial, which ended with a hung jury, brought a national spotlight to the issue of postpartum psychosis, which Clancy’s lawyers claimed led to the killings. The jury in the case was in deliberations at the time of Barrett’s killing.

Corie had been “invested” in the case, witnesses told police. Hours prior to Barrett’s body being found, she allegedly wrote in a group chat: “It was manslaughter, please help I’m really freaking out.”

Corie allegedly told police she wanted to harm her husband and the other children. While her two elder children were not home at the time of the killing, her infant was in a room and was physically unharmed.

Corie’s husband and other family members remain in support of her, many of whom filled out two rows of the courtroom on Monday for the brief hearing, NBC Chicago reported.

Her husband and mother showed up to support her when she entered pleas of not guilty to three murder charges in September.

“They all know this is not about who she is,” Lyon said following that court appearance.

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Barrett was lovingly known as “Bear” and was remembered as “joyful, funny, entertaining, rambunctious” in his obituary.

“He loved animals, bedtime stories, doing the good-bye dance with joyous perfection, feeding Oscar too many treats and really enjoyed playing his favorite game Ready, Set, Go with Grady and Anna,” it read.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

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